US looks forward to expanding critical partnership with India: White House
Washington (PTI): The Biden Administration looks forward to expanding its "critical and critically important" partnership with India and creating a more prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific, the White House has said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the remarks on Monday while responding to questions on the priorities of US President Joe Biden in the remaining six months of his administration.
“We look forward to continuing to expand our critical and critically important partnership and how it's going to benefit the American people," she said while addressing her daily news conference.
"We want to create a more prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and the world. That is going to continue to be our focus as we move forward,” she said.
“The president (Joe Biden) views our relationship -- the United States’ relationship with India -- as one of the most consequential in the world. We work closely with India on our most vital priorities, including through the Quad and the US-India initiative on -- Critical and Emerging Technology,” Jean-Pierre said.
Earlier in the day, India’s Ambassador-designate to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, arrived in the American Capital.
Kwatra, who previously served as Minister of Commerce in the Indian Embassy here, is expected to present his credentials to President Biden shortly.
The top Indian diplomat, who is well known in the US diplomatic circles, arrives in the US in the middle of an intense presidential election campaign, fast-moving developments in Bangladesh and two wars in which the US is currently engaged.
Over the next 90 days, India and the US are expected to have some high-level diplomatic engagements, including visits of cabinet-level officials on either side.
The overall ties between India and the US have witnessed a major upswing following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic state visit to Washington in June last year, followed by Biden’s trip to India last September for the G20 summit.
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Gujarat man held for impersonating govt official, duping people with forged letters
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior revenue official and used fake letters claiming to be from various government departments to cheat people, an official said on Sunday.
Mehul Shah, an engineer who manages two schools at Vankaner in Gujarat’s Morbi district, is accused of making lakhs of rupees with bogus documents and false claims, said inspector (crime branch) JK Makwana.
Shah had forged an appointment letter from the Ahmedabad district education officer (DEO) to offer a computer operator’s job in a government office to a complainant’s son. He also introduced himself as a trustee of a school and did not pay a man Rs 7 lakh due to him over the painting of a school building, the official said.
“Despite holding no official position in the state or central government, he used fake work permits and NOCs to cheat people of lakhs of rupees,” the police official said.
One complainant alleged that Shah identified himself as a top revenue department official and produced a fake letter from the chairman of the “department of science and research development” to make him install a siren and curtain in a hired vehicle but did not pay for the job, he said.
Bogus letters claiming to be from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ahmedabad DEO were used by the accused to cheat the complainants, the police official said.
Police have recovered from his possession fake identity cards and letters with headings like “bharat gaurav ratna shri samman council”, “chairman of department of science and research development”, “health and family welfare department”, and “road and building department”.
“The FIR is based on complaints by three victims. We appeal to the people to come forward and submit their complaints if they have been cheated by Shah in any way,” Makwana said.
