India-Japan partnership enhances stability in Indo-Pacific: Jaishankar
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New Delhi (PTI): The India-Japan partnership enhances the strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific region and contributes to economic growth at the global level, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday.
Jaishankar said maintaining a "free and open" Indo-Pacific is a stronger imperative but also a more complex challenge.
He was speaking at the India-Japan Indo-Pacific Forum organised by the Delhi Policy Group and the Japan Institute of International Affairs.
"Our partnership that has deepened so much in the last few decades has greater value than ever before. It serves to enhance strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and contribute to the economic one at a global level," Jaishankar said.
"Maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific is a stronger imperative but also a more complex challenge," he noted.
Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent phone conversation with his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, as soon as she assumed office, is testimony to the priority that both sides attach to the relationship.
"Looking ahead, the India-Japan partnership must focus on leveraging our strengths, bolstering our supply chains and investing in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals, clean energy and space," he said.
Jaishankar said as two major democracies and maritime nations, India and Japan have a larger responsibility towards the Indo-Pacific.
"The Indo-Pacific Oceans' Initiative, where Japan co-leads the maritime trade, transport and connectivity pillar, has the potential to advance our contributions," he said.
Jaishankar highlighted new initiatives, such as the Next Generation Mobility Partnership, Economic Security Initiative, Joint Crediting Mechanism and Joint Declaration on Clean Hydrogen and Ammonia and an MoU in the field of mineral resources, as examples of an evolving contemporary agenda.
"People-to-people exchanges are expected to receive a boost with the Action Plan for Human Resource Cooperation and Exchange. As they unfold, we may expect to create a deeper understanding at the societal level," he said.
"Together, all these initiatives reaffirm the strategic and comprehensive nature of our ties," he added.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
