Managing India's rise in changing world dynamics not easy: Ram Nath Kovind
New Delhi, July 1 : President Ram Nath Kovind said on Saturday that there were tectonic shifts taking place in the world, not just in the realm of geopolitics and geoeconomics, and managing India's rise in such an environment is not an easy task.
Addressing the participants of the annual Heads of Missions Conference who had called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kovind said the diplomats don't just represent the Indian state and the government of India but 1.3 billion Indians and their hopes and aspirations.
"There are tectonic shifts taking place in the world, and not just in the realm of geopolitics and geoeconomics. Technology, communication and societal mores are also changing rapidly. Terrorism and non-conventional threats pose a constant challenge to our security.A To manage India's rise in such an environment is not an easy task. You have to be a master at strategic thinking, nimble-footed action and be able to quickly adapt to change," he said.
The President said that the government has a clear and well marked approach to diplomacy today and the litmus test of the country's engagement with the external world is "what we are able to do to propel domestic growth and development".
"Our diplomats are doing well on this account. And as they do so, there is expectation for much more, especially when the country aspires for transformational change," he said.
The President said that the Indian growth story and the government's flagship programmes including Make in India, Digital India, Skill India, Smart Cities or Start-up India, have a multi-layered connect with the external world. "As diplomats, it is part of their mandate to secure new investments, scout for appropriate technologies, create markets for Make-in-India products and bring the best of business practices to India."
The President said that engaging different states of India is a vital part of diplomacy today. He stated that he sees real value of "twinning arrangements" in promoting people-to-people relations between our states and diaspora countries. "Today, there are higher expectations from us as a country from our citizens living outside."
Complimenting External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said she has given a new confidence to Indians abroad in the ability of the government to reach out to them when in need. "Our Missions and our ambassadors are seen as responsive to public needs, always ready to give a helping hand to our citizens and to members of the Indian diaspora. Our E-Visa scheme has come in for praise," he said.
He said Indian diplomats represent a society that in its essence is a force for good and for stability in an unpredictable world.
"Do remember that you don't just represent the Indian state and the government of India. You represent 1.3 billion Indians, and their hopes and aspirations. You represent our diverse and plural culture, you represent the richness of our 5,000 year old civilization and you represent a society that in its essence is a force for good and for stability in an unpredictable world.
"All this places great responsibility upon each one of you. I am confident you will continue to fulfill that responsibility, as you always have, as professional diplomats and as selfless servants of India," he said.
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Mamata again writes to PM Modi on Bengal flood, says her govt not consulted on water release by DVC
Kolkata (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote another letter to PM Narendra Modi on the flood situation in West Bengal, maintaining that Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) released water from its reservoirs without consulting her government, inundating several districts.
Responding to Banerjee's earlier letter to the PM, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil had said the state's officials were informed at every stage about the release of water from DVC reservoirs, which was essential to prevent a major disaster.
Banerjee said, "While the hon'ble minister claims that the release from DVC dams was carried out by consensus and collaboration with the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee, including consultations with representatives of the government of West Bengal, I may respectfully disagree."
"All the critical decisions are made unilaterally by representatives of the Central Water Commission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India without arriving at a consensus," she said.
Banerjee claimed that sometimes water is released without any notice to the state government and the views of her government are not honoured.
"Moreover peak release from the reservoirs lasting for a prolonged period of nine hours were conducted with only 3.5 hours notice which proved insufficient for effective disaster management," she said in the letter dated September 21, which was made public on Sunday.
In her letter to PM Modi on September 20, she claimed that 5 million people in the state were affected by the floods, and urged him to immediately sanction and release central funds to address the widespread devastation.
In his letter, Paatil addressed the chief minister's concerns about the flooding caused by the release of water from the DVC reservoirs.
He explained that the releases were managed by the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), which includes representatives from the Central Water Commission, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and the DVC.
Paatil clarified that from September 14 to 17, the release of water from the Maithon and Panchet reservoirs was curtailed by 50 per cent at the request of West Bengal officials due to heavy rainfall.
