Biden Admin welcomes India's emergence as a leading global power, its role in Indo-Pacific region
Washington: Describing India as one of the most important partners of the US in the Indo-Pacific region, the Biden Administration on Tuesday said that it welcomes India's emergence as a leading global power and its role as a net security provider in the region.
"India is one of the most important partners in the Indo-Pacific region to us. We welcome India's emergence as a leading global power and its role as a net security provider in the region," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference.
Earlier in the day, he said, Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke with his Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, for the second time in less than a fortnight. During the call, the two leaders reaffirm the strength of the US-India partnership and discussed issues of mutual concern, including the situation in Myanmar.
Blinken expressed concern over the military coup and the importance of rule of law and the democratic process in Myanmar.
They also discussed regional developments, including the value of US-India cooperation across the Indo-Pacific. "Both sides look forward to expanded regional cooperation, including through the Quad, and to address the challenges of COVID and climate change, Price said.
Responding to a question, Price said the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership is both broad as well as multi-faceted.
"We'll continue to engage at the highest levels of our government to deepen cooperation on many fronts, and we are confident that the strong and upward trajectory of our partnership will, in fact, continue, he told reporters.
India and the US, he said, cooperate on a wide range of diplomatic and security issues, including defence, nonproliferation, regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, counterterrorism, peacekeeping, the environment, health, education, technology, agriculture, space and oceans.
"We also work closely in international organisations, and we welcome India joining the Security Council in last month of this year for a two-year term," Price said.
The United States, he noted, also remains India's largest and most important trading partner, with total bilateral trade increasing to USD146 billion in 2019.
US companies, of course, are a large source of India's foreign direct investment, he said.
Price also highlighted the people-to-people ties which he said are broad and important. "Across this country, nearly four million Indian Americans call the United States home, contributing in their communities and proudly serving their country in uniform," he said.
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Govt, private hospitals asked to maintain stocks of anti-rabies vaccine at all times
New Delhi (PTI): The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a public notice directing all government and private hospitals to maintain mandatory stocks of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) and rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) at all times.
The Commission referred to the November 7 Supreme Court order which issued stringent and time-bound directions to all states and Union Territories (UTs) and the central government to secure educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands/ depots and railway stations from stray dog ingress.
Major highlights of the order include identification and securing of premises of government and private educational institutions (schools, colleges, hostels), hospitals and medical facilities, sports complexes/ stadiums, bus stands/ lSBT (Inter-State Bus Terminal) and railway stations through fencing, boundary walls, gates and similar structural and administrative measures within eight weeks.
According to the order, each institution must designate a nodal officer responsible for cleanliness, prevent dog ingress, maintain liaison with municipal authorities, display the details of the nodal officer prominently and notify the municipal body.
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It also called for mandated quarterly inspections to ensure no dog habitats exist within or near these premises and to immediately remove any stray dog found inside the institution.
"All government and private hospitals must maintain mandatory stock of anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) and immunoglobulin (RIG) at all times," the public notice said.
"All medical colleges/ institutions are, therefore, requested to take necessary actions as per the directives of the Supreme Court," the notice stated.
The NMC also enclosed the letter sent by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava addressed to all secretaries of the government of India and all chief secretaries of states and UTs highlighting the court's order.
