Author: Rishabh Sharma

THE HAGUE: Marking a historic milestone in bilateral relations, India and the Netherlands have officially elevated their ties to a ‘Strategic Partnership’. The announcement came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to the Netherlands from May 16–17, 2026, at the invitation of the Dutch Prime Minister, Rob Jetten. During the high-profile tour, PM Modi was hosted by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch, followed by extensive delegation-level talks with PM Jetten to map out a comprehensive Strategic Partnership Roadmap. Strategic & Geopolitical Alignments The two leaders signed several landmark pacts to…

THE HAGUE: On the final leg of his official tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, visited the historic Afsluitdijk, the Netherlands’ iconic 32-kilometer-long flood protection dam and causeway. The high-profile field visit explicitly spotlighted the structural parallels between the Netherlands’ world-class flood defense networks and India’s multi-billion dollar engineering plans in Gujarat. The Kalpasar Connection: Turning Sea into Freshwater The prime focus of the visit was to draw a direct blueprint from the Afsluitdijk to advance India’s ambitious Kalpasar Project in Gujarat. The Vision: The Kalpasar initiative intends to construct a massive sea dam…

NEW DELHI: In a major consolidation move within the state-run power financing sector, the Board of Directors of Power Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC) has formally approved the proposal to merge REC Limited (REC) into itself. The Maharatna central public sector enterprise has authorized its Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) to seek final approval from the President of India. The corporate amalgamation will bring together two of India’s largest power sector non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), optimizing capital allocation and streamlining infrastructure financing across the country. REC has been a subsidiary of PFC since March 2019, when PFC acquired a controlling 52.63%…

GOTHENBURG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commenced a crucial two-day diplomatic visit to Sweden, marking his first trip to the country in eight years. At the invitation of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the visit on May 17–18 aims to significantly elevate ties between New Delhi and Stockholm across defense, industrial technology, and trade. The engagement comes at a vital juncture as India actively works to diversify its global supply chains and accelerate its domestic green manufacturing transition. Core Pillars of the India-Sweden Dialogue The bilateral talks between the two heads of state will target high-value collaborations across several key…

NEW DELHI: Infrastructure and real estate player Lake Shore Realty Limited has announced a key addition to its leadership framework with the appointment of Narendra Kumar Verma as an Additional Non-Executive Independent Director.

KOLKATA: Government-owned copper major Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) has strengthened its leadership structure with the appointment of Ghanshyam Das Gupta as Director (Mining).

GANDHINAGAR: Highlighting the immense untapped potential within emerging economies, Union Commerce Secretary Shri Rajesh Agrawal delivered the keynote address at the 2nd Meeting of the BRICS Contact Group on Trade and Economic Issues (CGETI) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Addressing delegates under India’s fourth BRICS Chairship, Agrawal revealed that intra-BRICS merchandise trade has surged thirteen-fold—multiplying from $84 billion in 2003 to $1.17 trillion in 2024—outpacing global trade growth despite severe geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions. Bridging the Untapped Trade Potential Despite the trillion-dollar milestone, the Commerce Secretary pointed out that intra-BRICS commerce currently accounts for only 5% of global trade, signaling…

NEW DELHI: In a major boost to the cooperative dairy infrastructure under the national vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi” (Prosperity through Cooperatives), Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah will inaugurate the highly advanced Madhur Dairy Unit-2 on May 17, 2026. Located at Dashela in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the new facility features a fully automated milk processing and packaging plant designed to enhance value addition and elevate rural prosperity. The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Harsh Sanghavi. Modernizing the Cooperative Dairy Ecosystem The launch of the Madhur Dairy…

NEW DELHI: In a major push toward educational inclusion, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, convened a high-level review meeting to finalize a grassroots strategy for mainstreaming out-of-school children, particularly within the critical 14–18 age cohort. Chaired by Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, DoSEL, the meeting brought together senior officials from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), state education departments, and District Magistrates to iron out a data-driven blueprint leveraging Open and Distance Learning (ODL) networks. The Scale of the Challenge Data presented during the high-level meeting underscored a stark retention gap in India’s primary-to-secondary…

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has extended his warmest congratulations to Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi on his assumption of office as the Prime Minister of Iraq. In an official diplomatic outreach, Prime Minister Modi underscored the historical depth of the relationship between the two nations and reiterated India’s commitment to deepening strategic and economic cooperation. Reaffirming Bilateral Commitment Sharing his message on social media platform X, Prime Minister Modi stated: “Heartiest congratulations to Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi on assuming office as Prime Minister of Iraq. India highly values its longstanding and friendly ties with Iraq and remains firmly…