Vientiane (Laos), Jul 25: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Thursday met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi here and emphasised the need to ensure “full respect” for the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and past agreements to stabilise the bilateral ties.
The two leaders, who met for the second time this month, also agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process.
“Met with CPC Politburo member and FM Wang Yi in Vientiane today. Continued our ongoing discussions about our bilateral relationship. The state of the border will necessarily be reflected on the state of our ties,” Jaishankar said in a post on X after meeting with Wang on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings here.
The Jaishankar-Wang talks came amid the dragging border row in eastern Ladakh that entered its fifth year in May.
“Agreed on the need to give strong guidance to complete the disengagement process. Must ensure full respect for the LAC and past agreements. It is in our mutual interest to stabilise our ties. We should approach the immediate issues with a sense of purpose and urgency,” he added.
The two leaders met earlier this month in the Kazakh capital city of Astana on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
India has been maintaining that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.
The Indian and Chinese militaries have been locked in a standoff since May 2020 and a full resolution of the border row has not yet been achieved though the two sides have disengaged from a number of friction points.
The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
Amit Shah-led high-level committee approves disaster mitigation projects
New Delhi, Jul 25: A high-level committee headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday approved several disaster mitigation and capacity building projects for various states that include combating urban flooding and checking glacial lake outburst floods.
The committee gave its nod to nine proposals for funding from National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Among the proposals approved include six projects in Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal and Maharashtra at a total cost of Rs 2514.36 crore for urban floor management.
The six cities where the funds will be spent are Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune, according to an official statement.
The committee also considered a proposal to implement Yuva Aapda Mitra Scheme in all the 28 states.
Three project proposals were approved under the scheme for “Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in the states” for Assam, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu of a total outlay of Rs 810.64 crore.
The central government has allocated a total amount of Rs 5000 crore under NDRF for this scheme, and had already approved the proposals of 11 states at a total outlay of Rs 1691.43 crore.
In addition, the committee also approved a project proposal for Glacial Lake Outburst Flood risk mitigation for the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh at a total outlay of Rs 150 crore.
The Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risk Mitigation Project will provide necessary impetus to these four states in taking necessary mitigation measures to address GLOF risks.
The committee also approved a proposal of Yuva Aapda Mitra Scheme (YAMS) at an outlay of Rs 470.50 crore from NDRF, which will be implemented in 315 most disaster-prone districts of the country for training of 1300 trained Aapda Mitra Volunteers as Master Trainers and 2.37 lakh volunteers exclusively from NCC, NSS, NYKS and BS&G (Bharat Scouts & Guides) in disaster preparedness and response.
Earlier, the committee on November 27, 2023, had approved the project proposal for integrated solutions for flood management for the state of Tamil Nadu in Chennai city at a cost of Rs 561.29 crore.
To fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of disaster resilient India, the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken several initiatives to ensure effective management of disasters in the country, the statement said.
A number of steps have been taken to prevent any extensive loss to life and property during disasters by strengthening disaster risk reduction system in India.
This is in line with the vision of the Prime Minister’s of preparing the community as first responders during any disaster, the statement said.
Earlier, the government implemented “Aapda Mitra” scheme under which around 1 lakh community volunteers have been trained for disaster response in 350 most disaster-prone districts of the country.
These skilled and trained ‘Aapda Mitras’ and ‘Aapda Sakhis’ are playing an important role in assisting the local administration in responding to any disaster.
During the current financial year, the Centre has released Rs 6348 crore to 14 states under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and Rs 672 crore to six states under State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF).
In addition, an amount of Rs 4265 crore has been released to 10 states under NDRF.
The meeting was also attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.
