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In a significant diplomatic move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu at <keyword id="20751669" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hyderabad-House" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Hyderabad House" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Hyderabad House">Hyderabad House</keyword> in Delhi on Monday. This visit is widely seen as an effort to reset ties between the two nations after a year of tense relations. <keyword id="20101322" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="President-Muizzu" source="keywords">President Muizzu</keyword>, who arrived in India on Sunday for a five-day visit, received a red carpet welcome. During a joint press briefing, President Muizzu expressed heartfelt gratitude to India, thanking President Droupadi Murmu, <keyword id="19899320" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM-Modi" source="keywords">PM Modi</keyword> and the people of India for their warm reception. He emphasised the Maldives' deep-rooted ties with India, noting that tourism — especially Indian visitors—remains a crucial pillar of the Maldivian economy. “India is our largest source market for tourists, and we hope to welcome even more Indian visitors in the future,” Muizzu remarked. Key areas of cooperation discussed included economic ties and maritime security, critical given the Maldives' position in the Indian Ocean. Following their talks, India granted the financially struggling Maldives a rollover of USD 100 million in Treasury bills, in addition to formalising a <keyword id="23458604" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="currency-swap-agreement" source="keywords">currency swap agreement</keyword> and a ₹3,000 crore currency swap. Prime Minister Modi characterised the "development partnership" as a key component of India-Maldives relations, asserting that India has consistently prioritised the needs of the Maldivian people. "Our development partnership is vital to our relationship with the Maldives, and we have always placed importance on the priorities of its people. This year, SBI rolled over USD 100 million in Treasury Bills, and a USD 400 million currency swap agreement was signed based on the Maldives' requirements," he explained. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="106837748" title="Withdraw troops by mid-March, Maldives tells India" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>In September, India announced that the <keyword id="19934368" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="State-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="State Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="State Bank of India">State Bank of India</keyword> would purchase Maldivian government bonds worth USD 50 million, following a similar USD 50 million transaction in May 2024. Additionally, Prime Minister Modi and President Muizzu witnessed the first <keyword id="20563654" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RuPay-card" source="keywords">RuPay card</keyword> payment transaction launched in the Maldives and virtually inaugurated the runway at Hanimaadhoo International Airport. Modi stated that India and the Maldives would soon be connected through UPI. "Recently, we launched the RuPay card in the Maldives, and in the future, we will link both countries via UPI," he said during a joint press briefing. Muizzu also expressed his desire to conclude a <keyword id="19945642" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Free-Trade-Agreement" source="keywords">Free Trade Agreement</keyword> with India, a step he believes will open the door to greater Indian investment in the Maldives. Modi emphasised India's commitment to supporting the Maldives through various initiatives, including supplying essential commodities and Covid vaccines, inaugurating airports, and constructing social housing. He noted that a new drinking water project is now operational on 28 islands, providing clean water to over 30,000 residents. The leaders also discussed the opening of consulates in Addu and Bengaluru. Tensions between India and the Maldives escalated following Muizzu's election last year, which saw a shift towards a pro-China stance and the promise to withdraw Indian troops stationed in the archipelago. His visit to China before India in January had raised eyebrows in New Delhi, as it was perceived as a slight. However, since attending Modi's swearing-in ceremony for a third term in June, Muizzu has moderated his anti-Indian rhetoric, signalling a thaw in relations. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has stated that the discussions provided "a new impetus" to the relationship. This meeting likely marks a positive turn in Indo-Maldivian relations, setting the stage for further cooperation between the two South Asian neighbours. (With inputs from agencies) <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112094153" title="Maldives President Muizzu thanks India for economic support, affirms hope of signing FTA" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Maldives President Muizzu met with PM Modi in Delhi today. Here’s how it went!

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [<keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>], January 19 (ANI): India aims to reduce its offshore dependence on <keyword id="4810319" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="aircraft-leasing" source="Orion">aircraft leasing</keyword> and financing and the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) in Gujarat's GIFT City will help in realizing it, said Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword>. "We are working to simplify aircraft leasing. We endeavour to reduce India's offshore dependence on aircraft leasing and financing. So, we have set up IFSCA. The benefit of this will be reaped by the entire country," said PM Modi, after inaugurating the new state-of-the-art <keyword id="19915275" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="boeing" source="keywords">Boeing</keyword> India Engineering and Technology Center (BIETC) campus in Bengaluru. PM Modi today inaugurated the new state-of-the-art Boeing India Engineering &amp; Technology Center (BIETC) campus in Bengaluru. Built with an investment of Rs 1,600 crores, the 43-acre campus is Boeing's largest such investment outside the US. Boeing's new campus in India will become a cornerstone for partnership with the vibrant startup, private and government ecosystem in India, and will help develop next-generation products and services for the global aerospace and defence industry. PM Modi also launched the Boeing Sukanya Program which aims to support the entry of more girl children from across India into the country's growing aviation sector. The program will provide opportunities for girls and women from across India to learn critical skills in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields and train for jobs in the aviation sector. For young girls, the program will create <keyword id="20257054" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stem-labs" source="keywords">STEM Labs</keyword> at 150 planned locations to help spark interest in STEM careers. The program will also provide scholarships to women who are training to be pilots. India today is the third largest domestic civil aviation market, with volume more than doubling in the past decade, PM Modi said. "UDAN scheme has helped a lot. In the coming years, the domestic air traffic will further rise. Looking at such a huge demand, our airlines have placed a massive order for aircraft. India will give new energy to the global aviation market." To further India's aviation market, the central government is encouraging states to reduce taxes on aviation fuel, he said. "India will one day develop 'aircraft of the future' from this particular centre," he said, congratulating Boeing management. "Bengaluru is the city which connects aspirations with innovations and achievements. It's the city that connects India's tech potential to global demands. This new Global Technology Centre of Boeing will strengthen the identity of Bengaluru." This campus is a stamp of approval for Indian talents, he added. "This facility will help Indian youth to learn new skills in the aviation sector. Our endeavour is to raise women's participation in all sectors," he noted. Talking about women participation in the aviation sector, 15 per cent of Indian pilots are women, which is thrice the global average. "Be it fighter pilots or civil aviation pilots, Indian women are leading today. I can say with pride 15 per cent of our total pilots are women. To put this into context, this is thrice the global average," he asserted. PM Modi also apprised the gathering that the number of operational airports in India rose from around 70 to now 150 since year 2014. "We have not only new airports but also improved our efficiency manifold," PM Modi added.

India aims to reduce offshore dependence on aircraft leasing and financing, says PM Modi

The number of domestic air passengers in India is expected to double to about 300 million annually by 2030 and the country would still have a vast untapped market, Union Civil Aviation Minister <keyword id="19999763" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="jyotiraditya-scindia" source="keywords">Jyotiraditya Scindia</keyword> said on Thursday. Speaking at the inaugural session of Wings India 2024, a civil aviation conclave and exhibition here, <keyword id="19905342" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="scindia" source="keywords">Scindia</keyword> said India under the leadership of Prime Minister <keyword id="19895781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="keywords">Narendra Modi</keyword> in the last decade, has been a "shining star" on the global firmament of civil aviation. He said the number of airports and waterdromes will go up to over 200 from the existing 149 in the country. With 300 million passengers a year in 2030, India's aviation penetration would be at 10-15% and still be a potential market in the decades to come. "That is the potential that India holds not only to herself and Asia, but to the world. ...even with achieving 300 million domestic passengers by 2030, we will still be one of the most under-penetrated markets across the top 20 in the world. Today our penetration is roughly about 3 to 4% that will grow to about 10 to 15%. We still have 85% penetration to go," he said. He noted that the domestic air passenger traffic witnessed 15% growth (CAGR) while international air passenger traffic was 6.1%, in the last decade. According to Scindia, India today is the third largest domestic civil aviation market in the world and the seventh largest international civil aviation market in the world. If both domestic and international are combined, then India is the fifth largest civil aviation market in the world. In the last 15 years, domestic and international cargo witnessed a growth of 60 and 53% respectively. "Our domestic cargo traffic over the last 15 years has grown by close to 60% and our international cargo traffic, by close to 53%. And it is our considered opinion and that of industry consultants that domestic traffic which was 153 million in the last calendar year, up from 60 million in 2014, will grow to 300 million by 2030," he said. On the fleet size in the country, Scindia said it has grown from 400 to over 700. "Today, India has become the largest purchaser of aircraft in the world after the US and China. Our fleet size is going to grow from 713 to upwards of 2,000 in the next decade." Observing that 74 airports were built in 65 years, he said the government has modernized and built an additional 75 airports, waterdromes and heliports in the last 10 years. "It is our target, that by 2030, we will take that number from 149 to upwards of 200 airports, waterports and heliports in our country," he said. Scindia also marked the occasion by launching the Udan 5.3 scheme. "This regional connectivity scheme has truly transformed the arena and our sector... today under Udan, infrastructure has been built at 76 airports, waterdromes and heliports. Close to 517 new routes have been operationalised that could not have been dreamt of in the past," he said. Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General (retd) VK Singh and Telangana Roads and Buildings Minister K Venkat Reddy also spoke on the occasion.

Air passenger traffic in India expected to reach 300 million by 2030: Jyotiraditya Scindia

The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=chandigarh+airport&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Chandigarh International Airport</a>, which was built at the tune of Rs 1400 crore, has failed to start international flight operations.

	This <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=international+airport&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">international airport</a> was inaugurated with much fanfare and was supposed to handle pressure of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=indira+gandhi+international+airport&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi</a>, which is just 250 kilometres from Chandigarh.

	However, it did not attract anyone and now the airport is under scanner of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=punjab+and+haryana+high+court&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Punjab and Haryana High Court</a>.
 “Delhi’s <keyword id="89772" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indira-Gandhi-International-Airport">Indira Gandhi International airport</keyword> is capable enough to handle the rising growth of air traffic. As of now, the total terminal passenger capacity at the IGI Airport is 62 million passengers per annum against the actual traffic of approx. 41 million passengers handled in the FY 2014-15,” said an official.

	“As per the master plan IGI Airport is expected to handle 109 million passengers in the year 2034. This would be adequate to meet the likely traffic demands over the next 18-20 years,” he said.

	Now, the Uttar Pradesh government recently sought approval from the Indian government for an international airport in Greater Noida’s Jewar, which is around 84 kilometres away from Delhi.

	“Huge investment has already been made for expansion of the passenger handling capacity and modernisation at IGI Airport Now, a new airport within 84 km radius is sheer wastage of public money,” said the official.

	India has spent more than $50 million since 2009 on eight airports that do not receive scheduled flights - white elephants that are a reminder of the pitfalls for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he bets on an infrastructure drive to fuel growth.

	Even Jaisalmer airport met the same fate as after two-and-a-half years of completion, it has no flight operations.

	The proposal for an airport in Jewar was first mooted in 2001 by Rajnath Singh, the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. His successor Mayawati also backed the plan and acquired more than 2,000 acres for the proposed airport. 
	 

	(Anupama Airy is the Founder and Editor of EnergyInfraPost.com and DefenceAviationPost.com. She can be reached at <a href="mailto:anupama.airy@gmail.com" target="_blank">anupama.airy@gmail.com</a>​, Twitter handle: @anupamaairy)

Will the proposed Greater Noida airport be a bad idea too? Past experiences can make you think so

<ul><li>US President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> is all set to inaugurate the world’s largest stadium in India. </li><li>PM Modi and Donald Trump are likely to address the gathering together. </li><li><keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> has reportedly promised that 5-7 million will attend the “Kem Chho Trump” event in Gujarat. </li></ul>The world’s largest cricket stadium, <keyword id="12701" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Motera-Stadium">Motera Stadium</keyword>, in Gujarat is bracing itself for a grand opening. It’s not a nail-biting cricket match but a political event ‘<keyword id="8766628" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kem-chho-modi">Kem Chho Modi</keyword>’ which will be its inaugural. The event hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be his quid pro quo to Trump’s gesture where he hosted ‘<keyword id="7883284" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="howdy-modi">Howdy Modi</keyword>’ in Houston. The stadium which is equipped to host matches even during rain - will be inaugurated by the US President Donald Trump during his India visit between February 24 and 25. Motera Stadium is built at the cost of ₹700 crore (about $100 million) over a span of two years. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="Narendra Modi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1134082549041393672/QbihPzrL_normal.png" favoritecount="21052" retweetcount="3889" status="Extremely delighted that @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS will visit India on 24th and 25th February. India will… https://t.co/WsX08URT8R" createdat="1581488861000" id="1227479368592773120"></div>





 Modi is known to have promised Trump that the event will<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/nrc-data-disappears-but-government-takes-it-casually/articleshow/74095731.cms"> have 5-7 million attendees</a>, 1,000 times the number of attendees at the Howdy Modi. The promise comes after Trump was <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/modi-promised-millions-will-attend-gujarat-event-donald-trump-1645599-2020-02-12">unhapp</a>y with the numbers that the Texas event could draw. Modi’s promise might be tall and wide as the newly built stadium can accommodate a tad over 100,000 people with its 95,000 seating capacity and 5,000 standing capacity. Moreover, the population of the <a href="https://trti.gujarat.gov.in/district-wise-population">entire state is 6 million. </a> 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="fayedsouza" handlename="Faye DSouza" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1171370683034718208/dRoo6ha6_normal.jpg" favoritecount="3361" retweetcount="452" status="Population of Ahmedabad = 7 million. https://t.co/ldnk3zzGVC" createdat="1581482434000" id="1227452413172469762"></div>







 PM Modi and Donald Trump are likely to address the gathering together. “During a phone call over the weekend, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi agreed the trip will further strengthen the United States-India strategic partnership and highlight the strong and enduring bonds between the American and Indian people,”<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-press-secretary-announcing-president-donald-j-trumps-upcoming-travel-india/"> said White House press release. </a> Motera being decked up 
	
 
 <div type="image" title="D75A9328-A200-407E-8968-658025148B27" msid="74097039" hostid="261"></div>







 The Gujarat government is <a href="https://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad/cover-story/roads-lights-and-action-city-gets-major-makeover/articleshow/74089978.cms">aggressively</a> working to beautify the stadium and its surroundings. New lights are being installed at the parking lot of the stadium. As many as 16 roads leading to Motera Stadium including some internal roads that weren’t repaired in years - were refurbished. The local authorities are also repairing the pedestrian footpath with new paver blocks. Moreover, <a href="https://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad/cover-story/roads-lights-and-action-city-gets-major-makeover/articleshow/74089978.cms">the civic body is also plannin</a>g to beautify the entire route from Ahmedabad airport to the stadium with over 1.5 lakh flower pots - that will cost ₹2 crore. They are also planning to install decorative lighting along the route. This is in spite of the fact that Trump may land directly at the stadium in a helicopter. Sources say the government is spending close to ₹50 crore in all After the event, Trump is likely to visit Gandhi Ashram. Ever since Modi became PM in 2014, his hometown Gujarat has been the preferred choice to host international visits. Previously, Chinese president Xi Jingping and the Prime minister of Japan Shinzō Abe and Israel PM <keyword id="6358722" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</keyword> have visited Gujarat. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/nrc-data-disappears-but-government-takes-it-casually/articleshow/74095731.cms">A callous government just made it tougher to sell NRC to Indians</a>

Narendra Modi will say Kem Chho Trump at world's largest cricket stadium

<ul class="generic-article__summary--ul content--ul"><li class="generic-article__summary--li content--li">Incoming leader says he will not allow the island nation to be pulled into a proxy contest among the world’s major powers</li><li class="generic-article__summary--li content--li">But analysts foresee a cautious creep towards the pro-Beijing policies of predecessor and brother Mahinda</li></ul>Sri Lanka’s freshly elected president Gotabaya Rajapaksa will take a “low key” approach in restoring the cosy ties the country enjoyed with China during the 2005-2015 presidency of his brother, analysts said, as the new leader stressed on Monday that he would adopt a strictly neutral foreign policy. Paul Staniland, a prominent scholar of Sri Lankan politics, said Gotabaya was more likely to “spread his bets by reaching out to a variety of powerful states in the region and beyond”. Expectations before Saturday’s elections had been that he would not only sweep the polls against his main rival, Sajith Premadasa, but that he would also swiftly revert back to the overtly pro-Beijing foreign policy of his brother Mahinda. In his inaugural speech, the president said he would not allow the island nation to be pulled into a proxy contest among the world’s major powers. The 70-year-old won 52.25 per cent of the nearly 16 million votes cast, with the country’s majority Sinhala population overwhelmingly backing his platform that touted a return to his brother’s strongman leadership style and a focus on national security. The Rajapaksa brothers – alongside their two other siblings Basil and Chamal – are immensely popular among Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese population because of their role in crushing Tamil separatists and ending a 26-year civil war in 2009. “We will remain neutral in our foreign relations, and stay out of any conflict of world powers,” said Gotabaya after being sworn in on Monday. During the tenure of the outgoing president Maithripala Sirisena and the current Prime Minister <keyword id="300704" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ranil-Wickremesinghe">Ranil Wickremesinghe</keyword> – Sri Lanka’s key political mover and shaker of the last five years – the consensus has been that Colombo prioritised ties with the United States over Beijing. But foreign policy researchers said that a return towards a China-friendly policy was not so clear-cut. For one, there remains public trepidation about China from the Mahinda era, during which Sri Lanka chalked up large public debt due to the former president’s penchant for using cheap Beijing-backed financing to fund mega-infrastructure projects. A quarter of Sri Lanka’s foreign debt, which stands at 45 per cent of GDP, is owed to China. Among the projects built using Chinese financing are the now-infamous deep water port and airport in Hambantota, the Rajapaksa clan’s stronghold. The Sirisena government in 2017 was forced to hand over control of the seaport to Beijing as part of a debt-for-equity swap. The Rajapaksas’ dalliance with China also rattled regional power India, and Mahinda has previously accused New Delhi’s top spy agency of engineering his shock 2015 defeat to Sirisena. “This round is going to be about playing things in low key for China, but playing nevertheless,” said Jabin Jacob, an international relations professor at India’s <keyword id="44903" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shiv-Nadar">Shiv Nadar</keyword> University. “Perhaps the Rajapaksas have learned from the first time that there are consequences to playing the China card with India,” Jacob added. “It also does not help that the perception is that Chinese projects such as the Hambantota port and airport do not make money and have cost Sri Lanka.” Hemant Shivakumar, a senior analyst for India and South Asia at the consultancy Control Risks, offered a similar assessment – suggesting the new president is not likely to make dramatic changes to foreign policy even as he seeks to rebuild strained ties with China. “[Gotabaya] Rajapaksa is rightly perceived to be pro-China, and he will want to refocus the relationship and bring it back on track, while being cognisant of these [debt-related] issues,” he said. The analyst added that there was likely to be a “convergence of interests” between Gotabaya and China, with Beijing eager to show the new government that it was a “good development partner” and the new president hoping to show he would engage with the Asian power on Sri Lanka’s terms. Staniland, an associate professor specialising in South Asian security issues and political violence at the University of Chicago, said a likely effort by the new president to present Sri Lanka as open to having “multiple friends” would be in part due to “lessons of the past and a related desire not to rely too heavily on China”. He said it would be unsurprising if “in the medium term we see an overall tilt back towards China even as Colombo maintains a ‘portfolio’ approach to its international relations”. N. Sathiyamoorthy, a researcher based in India’s southern <keyword id="20154" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> state close to Sri Lanka, offered an altogether different take – suggesting that the outgoing government of Sirisena and Wikremesinghe was in fact more China-leaning compared to the Rajapaksas. He said Mahinda merely signed the Hambantota deals that had been “hanging in the air for decades” and that “it is quite likely that others in his place would have done the same”. The same could not be said about the outgoing government, Sathiyamoorthy added. He said the Sirisena government, while blaming the Rajapaksas for plunging the country into a “debt trap”, was ultimately responsible for green-lighting the 2017 deal that handed over Sri Lankan land to China on a long-term lease. One mistake that the researcher – head of the <keyword id="12864" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chennai">Chennai</keyword> chapter of the Observer Research Foundation think tank – said the Rajapaksas were unlikely to repeat was their “indiscretion” in allowing Chinese submarines to be berthed in Colombo in 2014. Located off the tip of southern India, Sri Lanka has found itself increasingly a theatre for the US-China strategic tussle, with both superpowers seeking to strengthen their presence in the Indian Ocean. The Sirisena government – in particular Prime Minister Wikremesinghe – blocked further dockings of Chinese submarines but found itself having to furiously push back against rumours that it had <keyword id="7016615" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Secret-Plans">secret plans</keyword> to let the US build a naval base in the eastern region of Trincomalee. Apart from policies towards the world’s two superpowers, the new president’s view of Indian Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s government will be parsed by observers. Shivakumar, the New Delhi-based Control Risk analyst, said India would be scrutinising the new president’s national security policies in view of Sri Lanka’s extremist attacks earlier this year, as well as his policies towards the minority Tamils. Gotabaya, who like his brother Mahinda has denied allegations of presiding over <keyword id="52767" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Human-rights">human rights</keyword> abuses as they spearheaded the bloody civil war victory over Tamil separatists in 2009, has said he will significantly strengthen security and intelligence agencies that he says were sidelined by Sirisena’s administration. Jacob said he expected Gotabaya to visit India followed by China in his first 100 days in office. “But it will probably be China that will load him with the goodies,” the China-India watcher said. This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: New president set for low-key china approach

Sri Lanka’s tilt towards China expected to be ‘low key’ as new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa takes the reins

(Photo Source: twitter/@rashtrapatibhvn) <ul><li><keyword id="6356970" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="myanmar">Myanmar</keyword> has announced that they will provide a ‘visa-on-arrival’ to <keyword id="110519" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-tourists">Indian tourists</keyword> arriving through the international airports of Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay. </li><li>The Indian president Ram Nath Kovind is on a visit to Myanmar to discuss various bilateral and multilateral issues including ‘Act East’ policy, and ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy. </li><li>Last September, the Indian government rolled out its updated policy that allowed free visas to Myanmar tourists. </li></ul>In a bid to foster people-to-people relationships between India and Myanmar, India’s president Ram Nath Kovind is on a state visit to the country. One early outcome from his visit has been a new travel policy introduced by Myanmar, making it easier for Indians to travel to the country. While discussing India’s ‘Act East’ policy and ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, it was announced on Tuesday Myanmar will now provide ‘visa-on-arrival’ to Indian tourists. India’s president tweeted about the new policy, which will grant these visas to Indian travellers arriving through the international airports of Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay. 
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 Last September, the Indian government had rolled out visa-free policy for Myanmar tourists. The move was initiated after PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Myanmar, according to a Myanmar Times report. Adding to this, the president said that India’s Northeast region has welcomed and is starting to reap the privileges of ‘Land-border Crossing Agreement’ that was recently inferred. The agreement was <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/myanmar-to-grant-visa-on-arrival-to-indian-tourists-says-president-ram-nath-kovind-1961014">reportedly</a> signed in May this year, and was put into practice in August along with the inauguration of international entry-exit checkpoints at the Tamu-Moreh and the Rihkhawdar-Zokhawthar border. 
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 Even though, the number of Indian visitors to Myanmar is currently not significant, there is a wide scope of growth and expansion, U Naung Naung Han, general secretary of Union of Myanmar Travel Association <a href="https://www.mmtimes.com/news/government-relaxes-visa-rules-indian-travellers.html">reportedly</a> said. Myanmar’s Hotel and Tourism ministry recorded about <a href="https://www.mmtimes.com/news/government-relaxes-visa-rules-indian-travellers.html">41,197</a> Indian tourists last year, it noted. While the Indian Tourism Ministry noted that there was a <a href="https://www.mmtimes.com/news/government-relaxes-visa-rules-indian-travellers.html">10% increase</a> in Myanmar tourists after the new policies were rolled out. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-pakistan-in-sync-to-build-corridor-for-sikh-pilgrims/articleshow/66761474.cms">India, Pakistan in sync to build corridor for Sikh pilgrims</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-and-china-are-set-to-sign-their-first-ever-security-cooperation-agreement-today/articleshow/66313880.cms">India and China are set to sign their first ever security cooperation agreement today</a>

Myanmar introduces ‘visa-on-arrival’ for Indian travellers

New Delhi, Jul 5 () A highest single-day surge of nearly 25,000 cases pushed the COVID-19 tally in India to 6,73,165 on Sunday, with states like Assam and Karnataka imposing selective lockdown and tightening restrictions to check the rising infection. The death toll rose by 613, the highest spike in a day so far, to reach 19,268 in the country. The states of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh. Karnataka and West Bengal recorded their highest single-day jump in cases. The worst affected Maharashtra crossed the grim milestone of two lakh COVID-19 cases, Tamil Nadu's tally reached 1.11 lakh and Delhi too was nearing the one lakh mark. Assam announced a two-week lockdown in Dima Hasao district from Monday the second district in the state after Kamrup Metropolitan, which primarily comprises Guwahati city, where it has been imposed. A two-week lockdown from June 28 to July 12 has been imposed in Kamrup Metropolitan. State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the COVID-19 situation in Guwahati, where 2,741 fresh cases were reported in the last 10 days, is alarming and may worsen if the restrictions imposed are not followed seriously by the people. Karnataka has announced a full shutdown barring essential services on Sundays till August 2. Roads wore a deserted look, people stayed indoors and all commercial activities came to a grinding halt on the first such weekly shutdown. The state recorded 1,925 new cases and an aggregate of 23,474. According to the Johns Hopkins University in the United States, which has been compiling COVID-19 data from all over the world, India is the fourth worst-hit nation by the pandemic after the US, Brazil and Russia and at the eighth position in terms of the death toll due to the disease. It said the US has reported 28,39,917 and Brazil has 15,77,004 cases. Russia has 6,80,283 cases, the only country among the three which has seen a steady decline in the number of new cases per day. India's COVID-19 graph, however, was still rising with over 20,000 cases for the third consecutive day and the data showed it was inching closer to Russia. The country reported 24,850 new cases in a single day, according to the Union government. Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally rose to 2,06,619 after a single-day spike of 6,555. With the death of 151 more patients, the state's fatality count rose to 8,822, according to state authorities. In the national capital, the 10,000-bed Sardar Patel COVID care centre, touted as "one of the largest" facilities in the world, was inaugurated. Also, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited a newly-created temporary hospital with 1,000 beds, including 250 in the ICU, for COVID-19 patients. The facility has been constructed in just 12 days near the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on a piece of land belonging to the Ministry of Defence. The home minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully committed to helping the people of Delhi in these challenging times and this COVID hospital, yet again, highlights that resolve. According to authorities, the national capital recorded 2,505 fresh coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the tally to 99, 444 in the city, while the death toll from the disease mounted to 3,067. Tamil Nadu reported over 4,000 fresh cases for the fourth straight day, taking the tally to 1,11,151, while 60 people succumbed to the virus, pushing the toll to 1,510, the state Health Department said. AIADMK MLA from Coimbatore tested positive for coronavirus, the fifth ruling party legislator to contract the virus. Four DMK MLAs, including J Anbazhagan who had died, had also tested positive for COVID-19. Uttar Pradesh reported a record 1,153 coronavirus cases, pushing the tally to 27,707, while the death toll in the state reached 785 with 12 fresh fatalities, officials said. Andhra Pradesh recorded a new single day high of 998 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday taking the overall tally to 18,697. In Kerala too, a rise in cases has heightened concern among authorities. "It's like we are sitting on top of an active volcano which can burst anytime. Just because there has been no community spread till now doesn't mean it will not occur," state tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said here on Sunday, referring to the COVID-19 situation in capital Thiruvananthapuram. Surendran said the restrictions in force in containment zones would be tightened. Kerala on Sunday reported second highest single day rise of 225 COVID-19 cases, including seven jawans of an Army unit in the state, taking the total to 5,429, the government said. Gujarat reported 725 new coronavirus cases, its highest single-day rise, taking the overall count to 36,123, while in Madhya Pradesh, 326 more people tested positive and its tally rose to 14,930. Odisha's COVID-19 tally has crossed the 9,000 mark with 469 fresh cases, while two more fatalities due to the infection pushed the death toll to 36, a health department official said. According to officials, 60.77 per cent of the patients have recovered so far in the country. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 97,89,066 samples were tested for the disease in the country till July 4, with 2,48,934 of those tested on Saturday. Of the 19,268 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for 8,671, followed by Delhi (3,004), Gujarat (1,925), Tamil Nadu (1,450), Uttar Pradesh (773), West Bengal (736), Madhya Pradesh (598), Rajasthan (447) and Karnataka (335), according to the Union Health Ministry. The COVID-19 death toll reached 288 in Telangana, 260 in Haryana, 218 in Andhra Pradesh, 162 in Punjab, 127 in Jammu and Kashmir, 89 in Bihar, 42 in Uttarakhand, 34 in Odisha and 25 in Kerala. Jharkhand has registered 17 deaths due to the disease, Chhattisgarh and Assam have reported 14 each, Puducherry has recorded 12, Himachal Pradesh 11, Chandigarh and Goa have registered six each and Meghalaya, Tripura, Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a fatality each, according to ministry. More than 70 per cent of the deaths were due to comorbidities, it said. TEAM PLB SLB BUN GMS VIJ RT

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