INDIA IN VANCOUVER- WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
ISSUE NO 4-APRIL 28 ,2023

     Consulate Weekly Newsletter

PM Modi inaugurated and addressed One Earth One Health - Advantage Healthcare India - 2023 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi via video conferencing on April 26 2023 . He stated that "Our vision is not restricted to just humans. It extends to our whole ecosystem. From plants to animals, from soil to rivers, when everything around us is healthy, we can be healthy”.

                                CONSULATE NEWS

Representatives of Vancouver Kannada Koota Community Society, an organization working to connect Kannadigas and promote their culture, traditions and language of Karnataka called on Consul General and briefed him of activities of their organizations. Consul General suggested measures for participation in various activities organized by the Consulate including trade & tourism promotion, investment opportunities in India and participating in forthcoming

Consul General Mr. Manish met with the representatives of Lower Mainland Bengali Cultural Society and discussed ideas for cooperation in organizing cultural, social and economic activities in partnership with Consulate General of India. Ideas were discussed for their participation in Consulate's flagship events like Namaste Canada, IDY 2023, etc.

Consul General Mr. Manish attended various sessions organized as part of the of Dr. Ambedkar International Symposium on Emancipation between 21-26 April 2023. He gave opening remarks at the inaugural panel discussion on Contemporary Buddhism and Emancipation. Consul General conveyed his greetings to delegates participating in the Symposium and highlighted the role of Babasaheb Ambedkar in India’s freedom struggle, drafting of Indian Constitution and his social, political and economic vision to empower people. Consul General was also a panelist in the session “India's Legal framework and how it enables Human Emancipation” organized as a part of this Symposium. Consul General also attended a session at SFU, Burnaby campus and paid homage to Dr. Ambedkar’s bust at the library. Consul General was felicitated by the organizers of the Symposium for participating and promoting Dr. Ambedkar’s vision. The Symposium was hosted by Chetna Association of Canada and Ambedkarite International Coordination Society, in partnership with other organizations.

Consul General Mr. Manish met with Mr. Sirish Rao, Director, Public Engagement and Learning, Vancouver Art Gallery and discussed ideas for possible cooperation between Indian Art Galleries & Vancouver Art Gallery.

Consul General Mr. Manish had a productive meeting with Mr. Raghwa Gopal, President & CEO, Innovate BC and discussed possible cooperation in areas of innovation, startups and tech sector between India and British Columbia..

                                       KNOW YOUR MILLETS

Celebrating 2023 as the year of Millet

2023 is the International Year of Millets (IYM) and the goal of the United Nations is to highlight the enormous potential of millets to diversify food systems and enhance food security across the globe. Millets have long been stereotyped as traditional and bland food but with the International Millet Year, the entire millets industry and major players in the ecosystem, such as producers, exporters and the larger agro and food processing industry have an opportunity to popularize millet consumption as a routine part of the daily diet. As the biggest producer and consumer of millets, India can draw on its history and traditions to illustrate how millets are not only healthy and delicious but can play a vital role in creating a more resilient and sustainable agriculture basket and minimize the harms of monoculture.

LITTLE MILLET

Little Millet (Panicummiliare) is grown throughout India and is a traditional crop. It is a relative of proso millet but the seeds of little millet are much smaller than proso millet. it is also called Moraiyo, Kutki, Shavan, and Sama. It is loaded with vitamin B and essential minerals such as Calcium, Iron, Zinc, and Potassium. Little Millet is largely used in Southern states of India in numerous traditional dishes. It is a healthier alternative to rice and does not cause weight gain.

             INCREDIBLE INDIA-TRIPURA

The hilly state of Tripura is located in north-eastern India and is bordered on three sides by Bangladesh. It is a beautiful state boasting of gorgeous natural beauty, mesmerizing landscapes, mountain ranges, rich wildlife and a diverse cultural heritage. Like other north-eastern states, Tripura too has a sizeable tribal population that lends it a distinct character of its own. There are a decent number of activities for tourists to indulge in during their stay in the state. Here is a snippet of travel guide to see in Tripura.

                      NEWS FLASH

NEWS SEGMENT

India committed to furthering sustainable growth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on the occasion of Earth Day on Saturday that India is committed to furthering sustainable development, in line with its culture of living in harmony with nature. "On Earth Day, I laud all those working to make our planet better. India is committed to furthering sustainable development in line with our culture of living in harmony with nature," Modi said in a tweet. Earth Day is observed globally to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Big boost to PM Modi's Digital India! 'EU following Indian model of ensuring safe, trusted Internet'

The European Union (EU) is following the Indian model of a safe Internet by making social media intermediaries accountable towards its citizens' data, said Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday. The Minister said this, as reported by IANS while reacting to the new European Union directive to tame Alphabet (Google's parent company), Meta (formerly Facebook), Microsoft, Twitter, and others under the new EU online content rules, known as the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Cabinet approves medical device policy to help sector grow to USD 50 bn in Next 5 Years

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved National Medical Devices Policy 2023 to promote domestic manufacturing and help the sunrise sector grow from the present USD 11 billion to USD 50 billion in the next five years and reduce import dependence. The policy focuses on six strategies to tap the potential of the sector with the 'implementation of action plan'.

Electronics exports grew a whopping 50% in FY23; may overtake drugs, pharma

A surge in electronics exports, including smartphones, accounted for a massive 31 per cent of the rise in India’s merchandising exports in FY23 over the previous year, in value terms based on the Commerce Ministry’s latest figures. Merchandise exports increased by $25 billion, hitting $447 billion in FY23 over $422 billion in the previous year. Of this, the increase in smartphones and Apple iPhone exports alone contributed 23 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.

India raises its logistics game, rises six spots on World Bank Index to 38

India climbed up six places in the World Bank's Logistic Performance Index 2023, as investments in soft and hard infrastructure as well as technology helped the country improve its port performance. India is now ranked 38 in the 139 countries index, up from 44 in 2018, said a report Friday. The 2018 report ranked each country separately. "The government of India has invested in trade-related soft and hard infrastructure connecting port gateways on both coasts to the economic poles in the in the hinterland," the report said.

Apple's giant Make-in-India leap

The very first Apple product that was available for sale in India was the Mackintosh personal computer, way back in 1998. But guess what? It was only in 2017 and thereafter that Apple started making iPhones in India and it was only on April 18, 2023, that Apple opened its first store in India in Mumbai and the second one in New Delhi on April 20, 2023. Basically, it took a good 25 years for Apple to open a store in India, but the good news is, Apple's two stores are a big deal for various reasons.

International trade in rupee currency soon

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday expressed hope that traders will soon be able to settle foreign trade in the rupee currency as several banks from different countries are opening special Vostro accounts with Indian banks.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved 60 requests to open Special Rupee Vostro Accounts (SRVAs) of correspondent banks from 18 countries, including the UK, Singapore, and New Zealand.

More developed countries lining up for trade talks with India

More and more developed countries are lining up to have free trade talks with India, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textile Piyush Goyal said in a media interaction in Rajkot on Saturday. According to Piyush Goyal, while free trade talks with the UK and Canada are in an advanced stage, the government is also negotiating with the 27-nation European Union.

The world has welcomed India’s G20 agenda because it signals inclusivity

India’s G20 Presidency is significant as it has come at a time of unprecedented global uncertainty aggravated by the war in Ukraine, a compounding cost-of-living crisis due to the war, tightening financial conditions, and unsustainable debt burdens, in the backdrop of an escalating climate crisis, said Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India.

India Most Promising growth driver for  Citroen

"India is probably the most promising one because of its size and growth potential. With the Indian market soon expected to sell 5 million vehicles (annually), there are many opportunities for us," Thierry Koskas, the newly appointed global chief of Citroen, told ET. "India is a key part of our strategy outside of Europe.

India registers 190% rise in YoY outbound travel, highest in Asia

A recent report has stated that India emerged as the largest source market for outbound travelers in Asia in the year 2022. With an estimated year over year rise of 190%, India made an above-average recovery, wherein the travel bugs logged numbers slightly more than half of the travel volume achieved in 2019.

India adds almost 50,000 km of National Highways in nine years

In the last nine years, India has added 50,000 kilometres of National Highways – the country’s arteries — amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for an infrastructure upgrade to boost the economy. As per the official data, India had a total of 97,830 km of National Highways in 2014-15 which has been expanded to 145,155 km by March 2023. From building 12.1 km per day of roads in 2014-15, the nation is seeing 28.6 km of roads being constructed every day in 2021-22, according to the official data.

India's crude steel output grows 4% to over 125 MT in FY23

India's crude steel production rose by 4.18 per cent to 125.32 million tonnes (MT) in 2022-23, according to research firm SteelMint. In the preceding 2021-22 fiscal, the country produced 120.29 MT of steel, the research firm stated. The production of finished steel was 121.29 MT, up 6.77 per cent from 113.60 MT a year ago. Domestic consumption of steel rose by 12.69 per cent to 119.17 MT against 105.75 MT in 2021-22.

India's Digitisation Journey Holds Lessons For Other Countries

India's experience with building digital public infrastructure—anchored by the India Stack—highlights lessons for other countries embarking on a digitisation journey, according to a March working paper from the International Monetary Fund. India Stack is the collective name for a set of application programming interfaces that enable payments via the Unified Payment Interface, Aadhaar-based identity verification and data sharing.

India ready to take the lead in Quantum tech

With the National Quantum Mission announcement, India is on the global quantum map. It is expected to be a dedicated mission towards use-case development and applications that will boost the efforts of QuEST and NM-ICPS quantum mission and take India a step closer towards achieving quantum readiness and hence also leadership in future.

India's economy increasingly vital for US businesses, says top American trade body

President of the US India Business Council Atul Keshap said US' business-to-business ties with India are directly creating good jobs for American middle class. The economic growth of India offers an opportunity for US businesses and advancing the bilateral trade ties might be one of the most important projects of the time, the president of a top American trade body has said.

The world’s largest women-run market

At first glance, Ima Keithel is much like any other market. Lines of vendors are here from dusk until dawn, eagerly flogging everything from fresh fruit to fish and fabrics. But after walking through its huge network of more than 5,000 stalls spread across three multi-story buildings and a sea of surrounding tin shacks, one unique aspect becomes hard to ignore: every single trader, without exception, is a woman. “We are just like family, we’re sisters,” says Meilani Chingangbam, a 65-year-old who has been selling religious ritual products like incense and shrine decorations at the market since 2002. “It’s a beautiful place to work.

The Order of Australia: Ratan Tata awarded highest civilian Award of Australia

Ratan Tata, an Indian businessman and philanthropist, has been awarded highest civilian Award of Australia. He has been awarded Australia’s highest civilian honour. The Order of Australia Award is a matter of pride not only for Ratan Tata but for the entire country of India.Ratan Tata has been honored with the Distinguished Citizen of Australia Award. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison honored Ratan Tata with the “The Order of Australia honour”. Scott Morrison told that Ratan Tata is a successful businessman and his personality cooperation is also important for the country.

8 Indian Americans Among 30 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows for ‘Contributions to the U.S. Across Fields of Study’

Eight Indian Americans and one Sri Lankan American are among 30 recipients of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, a merit-based graduate school program for immigrants and children of immigrants. Dhruv Gaur, Shyamala Ramakrishna, Jaspreet Kaur, Omair M. Khan, Nathan Mallipeddi, Arjun Menta, Vaibhav Mohanty, Shomik Verma and Ashri Anurudran were selected from nearly 2,000 applicants “for their achievements and their potential to make meaningful contributions to the United States across fields of study,” according to The Paul & Daisy Soros Foundation.

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