Lack of opportunities in India make people migrate to the US, Canada: Nitin Patel
Ahmedabad, Jan 24: A man from Dingucha village in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district on Sunday said he and kin were worried over reports of a family of four freezing to death while attempting to cross the US-Canada border as he was unable to establish contact with his family members who recently left for Canada.
The family was anxious over reports of a family of four, including a baby, believed to be Gujaratis, dying from exposure to extreme cold weather along the US-Canada border in what authorities of those countries believe was a failed crossing attempt during a freezing blizzard.
Gandhinagar Collector Kuldeep Arya told PTI he has learnt about a family from Dingucha village going to Canada on a valid visa, but has not received any information regarding the deceased, or if they belonging to this village.
There has been no official communication from either the Ministry of External Affairs or Union Home Ministry over this either, Arya added.
A cousin of one Jagdish Patel, who recently left for Canada along with his wife and two children, said the family in Gujarat's Kalol taluka is worried as they remain out of contact at present.
"We are extremely worried after coming across news reports of four members of a family dying while attempting to cross the US-Canada border. My cousin recently left for Canada with his wife and two children, and we have not been able to talk to them since the last three-four days," Jaswant Patel told reporters.
He said the Central government must give details about the deceased.
Meanwhile, expressing grief over the report of the death of a family of four, believed to be Gujaratis, while attempting to cross the US-Canada border, former state deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said that lack of opportunities in India make people migrate to the US, Canada and Australia in large numbers.
"Why do people go to the US, Canada and Australia? Because there is a lack of opportunity here (India/Gujarat). They don't find jobs despite working hard. This is why they spend huge amounts of money and take a lot of risk to migrate to the US," Patel said, while addressing a gathering at an event of the Patidar community.
He said once Gujaratis reach the US, they do not need to worry because of the presence of a large number of people from the state there, but "their main concern is to the cross the border".
The senior BJP leader claimed the deceased were members of the Patidar community and questioned as to how such a "tragic incident" occurred.
"Here (in Gujarat/India) there is lack of opportunity, the future is not bright. Despite working and studying hard, people do not get proper position," he further said.
A family of four Indian nationals were found frozen to death just inside the Canadian side of the International border with the US as they reportedly attempted to cross over illegally.
A complaint filed over the incident said those believed to be in the same group spoke Gujarati and most had limited knowledge of English.
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PM Modi holds talks with Dutch counterpart Jetten; discusses trade, investment
The Hague (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held wide-ranging talks with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten, focusing on trade, investment, and critical technologies.
Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday on the second leg of his five-nation tour. This is his second trip to the Netherlands, following his visit in 2017.
Ahead of the bilateral talks, Modi, along with Jetten, held discussions with prominent CEOs of leading Dutch companies across various sectors such as energy, ports, health, agriculture trade, and technology, among others.
Modi invited Dutch companies to explore opportunities in India, particularly in maritime, renewable energy, digital technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and healthcare sectors.
"We are continuously reducing compliance and increasing the ease of doing business. We have recently carried out next-generation reforms in taxation, labour code, and governance," he told the business leaders.
The prime minister added that manufacturing in India is becoming very cost-effective, and in the services sector, it has become the engine of efficiency and innovation.
"We invite all of you to design and innovate in India. There can be no better time for this than today," he said.
"Today's India is a symbol of scale and stability. In terms of scale, we are also the fastest-growing major economy in the world and the world's largest talent pool. Infrastructure, clean energy or connectivity – no one in the world can match India's speed," Modi said.
"And on the subject of stability, I have completed 12 years of serving as the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy. In these 12 years, with continuous reforms, we have transformed our economic DNA. Our direction has been clear – to give policy predictability to the private sector and increase opportunities for them," he added.
Modi said his government has opened up every sector for the private sector, be it space, mining or nuclear energy.
Ahead of the meeting, an agreement between ASML and Tata Electronics was signed in the presence of the two leaders.
The two prime ministers also called for early implementation of the India-EU-FTA.
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi met King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Royal Palace and discussed close cooperation in digital technology, innovation, fintech and blue economy.
PM Modi's visit will build on the momentum of high-level engagements and close cooperation spanning diverse sectors, including defence, security, innovation, green hydrogen, semiconductors and a strategic partnership on water, the MEA said ahead of his visit.
The Netherlands is one of India's largest trade destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade worth USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. The European nation is India's fourth-largest investor with cumulative foreign direct investment of USD 55.6 billion.
From the Netherlands, the prime minister will travel to Sweden for a two-day trip from May 17 to 18.
