Indonesia inaugurates 'Little India Gate' in Medan city
Singapore, Oct 28: Nearly 7,000 people gathered in Northern Indonesia Sunday to witness the inauguration of 'Little India Gate', the first-of-its-kind structure in the country which recognises the contribution of Indian community in the development of Medan city.
The new structure was inaugurated jointly by India's ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Pradeep Kumar Rawat and Mayor of Medan H T Dzulmi Eldin S at Kampung Madras or Madras Village area in Medan city, the fourth largest city in the country.
About 7,000 people witnessed the historic moment with great enthusiasm, the Indian embassy in Jakarta said in a statement.
Ambassador Rawat said it was a true representation of what Indonesia stood for, which is 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika' or Unity in Diversity and of the Indian belief in 'Vasudev Kutubakam', meaning the world is one family.
Rawat assured the Mayor that the Indian embassy in Jakarta and the Indian Consulate in Medan would assist in promoting 'Little India Gate' as an important tourist destination in Medan, especially for Indian tourists.
"Little India could also become a bridge between the two countries in terms of trade and commercial relations," he said in a statement.
The Mayor in his speech said the new structure will be promoted as an iconic tourist spot in Medan city as it is the first such structure in entire Indonesia.
The gate also represents the immense potential in the Indian community and a recognition of their contribution in the development of Medan city, Dzulmi said.
Kampung Madras area is one of the city's significant ethnic enclaves comprising a large population of people of Indian descent whose ancestors had settled down in Medan in mid-nineteenth century.
Every year, Kampung Madras becomes a meeting point for Hindu and Tamil festivals such as Thaipusam or the Tamil New Year, Pongal and Diwali.
Not only is it home to one of the oldest Hindu temples of North Sumatra Sri Mariamman Koil, but it also houses mosques belonging to the South Indian Muslim community, churches including an Indian Catholic church that dates back to 1912, a Gurdwara and a Buddhist temple, the statement said.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
