PM Modi speaks to Italian counterpart Meloni; Discusses EU-India FTA, Ukraine conflict
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday discussed with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni the proposed free trade agreement between India and the European Union (EU) and thanked her for supporting it.
In a phone conversation, Modi also discussed with Meloni ways to end the conflict in Ukraine as well as the implementation of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEEC).
"Had an excellent conversation with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. We reaffirmed our joint commitment to deepen India-Italy Strategic Partnership, and shared interest in bringing an early end to the conflict in Ukraine," Modi said on X.
"Thanked PM Meloni for Italy's proactive support for concluding a mutually beneficial India-EU trade agreement and promoting connectivity through the IMEEEC initiative," he said.
India and the EU are looking at firming up the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) by the end of this year. The two sides are holding the 13th round of negotiations in New Delhi this week.
India and the EU relaunched the negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA) in June 2022 after a gap of over eight years.
An Indian readout said the two leaders reviewed and positively assessed the developments in bilateral strategic partnership across sectors such as investment, defence, security, space, science and technology, education, people-to-people ties and counter-terrorism.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment towards further deepening of the partnership, in line with the joint strategic action plan -2025-29, it said.
"They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. They agreed on the need for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. PM Modi reiterated India's full support for efforts in this direction," the readout noted.
It said Meloni reiterated Italy's strong support for conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-EU free trade agreement at the earliest, and for the success of the AI Impact Summit to be hosted by India in 2026.
The leaders also agreed on taking steps to promote connectivity under IMEEEC initiative.
The IMEEC initiative was firmed up on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Delhi in 2023.
Billed as a pathbreaking initiative, it envisages a vast road, railroad and shipping networks among Saudi Arabia, India, the US and Europe with an aim to ensure integration among Asia, Middle East and West.
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Uttarakhand Assembly passes censure motion against opposition over women's reservation bill
Dehradun (PTI): The Uttarakhand Assembly passed a censure motion against the Congress and other opposition parties on Tuesday for allegedly blocking the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in Parliament.
The motion, which expressed the House's formal disapproval of the opposition's conduct, triggered a massive uproar by Congress members, leading to the adjournment of the House sine die.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Subodh Uniyal moved the censure motion, citing the "uncooperative attitude" of opposition parties toward the bill seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies.
Addressing a special daylong session convened specifically to discuss "Nari Samman -- Rights in Democracy", Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the bill's passage would have benefitted every political party.
Dhami noted that after delimitation, the number of Assembly seats in the hill state would have gone up to 105, with 35 reserved for women. He added that the number of Lok Sabha seats from Uttarakhand would have risen from five to seven or eight.
"The opposition fears that if women from ordinary households enter politics, the shops of dynastic politics run by certain parties will shut down," the chief minister claimed.
He compared the opposition's conduct in Parliament to the assembly in Mahabharat where Draupadi was insulted. Dhami further likened the opposition's behaviour to the "arrogance of Ravan".
The chief minister highlighted his government's initiatives, asserting that Uttarakhand was the first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to protect women's rights. He said the UCC freed Muslim women from practices like "halala", "iddat", polygamy and child marriage.
Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya questioned the technical feasibility of the bill, calling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) claims of providing reservation by 2029 "misleading".
He argued that the bill is linked to census and delimitation processes. The Congress leader said the 2026 census would conclude by 2027 and the final data publication would take two more years.
"The delimitation process will take another six years. The actual implementation of this bill is not possible before 2034," Arya said, describing the move as a strategy to protect the BJP's "political ground".
The session also saw high drama outside the Assembly gates, where Congress MLA Virendra Jati staged a protest, demanding the payment of "outstanding" dues to farmers by sugar mills.
Jati arrived at the Assembly's main gate with a tractor-trolley loaded with sugarcane and dumped it on the road. The move brought the traffic to a halt, prompting traffic and security personnel to intervene and clear the area.
Women Congress workers also staged a demonstration against the "anti-people policies" of the state government.
