Australia seeks to establish new Consulate General in Bengaluru: Scott Morrison
Bengaluru, Nov 17: Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison on Wednesday said that his country is seeking to establish a new Consulate General in Bengaluru.
He also said that Australia will deepen its ties with India's innovators, technologists and entrepreneurs, as well as the governments at all levels, and asserted that the ties that bind both nations are "indeed strong and abiding".
"I'm pleased to let you know that Australia is also seeking to establish a new Consulate General in Bengaluru. Bengaluru is the world's fastest growing technology hub of course we want to be part of it. It is home to a third of India's unicorn companies," Morrison said.
In his video message to the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS)-2021, he said, Australia's new mission in Bengaluru would expand its diplomatic presence in India to five posts.
The video message was played at the 24th edition of the BTS, that was inaugurated by Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Minister for IT & BT, Science & Technology C N Ashwath Narayan, Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw among others.
Morrison also noted that as the BTS is on, his country is also kicking off the first-ever Sydney Dialogue in Australia, and he was honoured that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the dialogue tomorrow.
"This is a global summit on emerging, critical and cyber technologies and I'm delighted to be announcing Australia's first-ever Blueprint for Critical Technologies at that event. This signals Australia's firm commitment to shaping the development and adoption of critical technologies internationally, including by working with trusted partners like India," he said.
Noting that technology-leading nations will have greater economic, political and military power and considerable influence on global norms and values into the years ahead, the Australian Prime Minister said India is a major technology power.
"Technology is at the forefront of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership which Prime Minister Modi and I signed last year. We're already making great progress. We're sharing expertise on cyber and critical technologies like quantum computing and AI. We're working to make our supply chains more secure and resilient," he said.
Indian and Australia are also collaborating on the mining and processing of critical minerals like cobalt and lithium and rare earth elements that are vital to clean energy technologies, and have military applications.
Morrison said both countries are also cooperating on space science, technology, and research, and Australia is proud to be supporting India's inspirational 'Gaganyaan' human spaceflight mission.
"We're deepening our education and research links also vital to technological cooperation, and we're working towards a low-emissions technology partnership, which will see us combine efforts on hydrogen and ultra-low-cost solar," he said.
Highlighting that both countries are also working with the United States and Japan through the Quad Leaders Dialogue, the PM said, "This is about four like-minded democracies coming together, from our region, to show we can make a positive difference in addressing our region's biggest challenges."
It's a very practical and positive partnership fostering an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem.
"Together, we're working to bolster supply chain security, advance the deployment of secure 5G and beyond-5G networks, to combat cyber threats, and secure our critical infrastructure, and much more. You know, and I know, that technology isn't developed in a vacuum," he added.
Suggesting that Australia is working with like-minded countries, liberal democracies in particular, to ensure global technology rules and norms reflect liberal democratic values, Morrison said, a new Australia-India Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy will contribute to that effort.
"The Centre will bring together Australian and Indian technologists, policy practitioners, academics, researchers and thought leaders. Helping our nations shape technology governance so it aligns with our values and supports an open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific region," he said, adding that it will also promote investment opportunities and innovation between Australia and India in technology, and amplify our policy influence globally.
Further, pointing out that Australia and India are diverse, multicultural, liberal democracies who seek a world that is prosperous, safe and secure, and where human dignity is best expressed through choice and freedom, the Prime Minister said, "We seek to lift up, not suppress. To build a better world, rather than to hold back change."
"Our vision of the world understands the potential of technology to respond to the challenges of our time and to lift all to raise those living standards," he said, "We have witnessed this so powerfully over the past 18 months, with medical breakthroughs now allowing us all to plan for a world after this pandemic."
That same capacity to innovate will be at the fore of all of our efforts addressing climate change and in transitioning to a new energy economy, he added.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
