NEW DELHI
TUESDAY
DECEMBER 21, 2021
PM, Putin discuss ways
to bolster bilateral ties
Rezaul H Laskar
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi and Russian President
Vladimir Putin on Monday dis-
cussed ways to take forward bilat-
eral cooperation in several key
areas, including defence, supply of
fertilisers and India’s role in devel-
oping Russia’s Far East. The two
leaders had a telephone conversa-
tion to follow up on their discus-
sions during Putin’s visit to India
earlier this month for the bilateral
summit.
At the summit on December 6,
India and Russia agreed to
enhance cooperation on bilateral
and multilateral issues, including
trade and investment and the situ-
ation in Afghanistan. The two
sides also signed nearly 30 agree-
ments, including one for the pro-
gramme for defence cooperation
during 2021-31, and concluded a
deal for India’s procurement of
more than 600,000 AK-203
assault rifles.
“Spoke with my friend, Presi-
dent Putin, to follow up on our dis-
cussions during his recent visit to
India. We agreed on the way for-
ward for enhancing India-Russia
cooperation, including in supply of
fertilizers. We also discussed
recent international develop-
ments,” Modi tweeted.
A readout from the Russian
side said the two leaders discussed
“practical aspects of implementing
the agreements reached at the
talks” on December 6 and
“expressed mutual intent for the
further multifaceted development
of relations of the special and priv-
ileged strategic partnership
between Russia and India”.
{ PANAMA PAPERS CASE }
ED quizzes Aishwarya for 6 hrs in forex case
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Government of Punjab
Tender Notice Reference No. 25/PWSSB D-2/BTI DATE:- 17.12.2021
The Department of Punjab W/S & Sewerage Board Divn. No. 2 Bathinda invites
bids for the followings:-
S. No.
1. Special Repair & O&M of 8.70 MLD, 3.50 MLD & 5.70 MLD STP for
the period of 60 months at Sri Muktsar Sahib. (As per DNIT)
Closing date & time (3rd Attempt) : 29.12.2021 upto 11.00 AM
For detail log onto : www.eproc.punjab.gov.in
Note:- Any corrigendum(s) to the tender notice shall be published on the above
website only.
11461
VAANIKAPOOR:
THEBEST
COMPLIMENT
HASBEEN FROM
TRANS
COMMUNITY
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the foreign ministers of
Central Asian countries in New Delhi on Monday.
Modi meets leaders of 5
Central Asian nations
Rezaul H Laskar
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: India attaches impor-
tance to its relations with the five
Central Asian states, which are
part of the country’s extended
neighbourhood and connectivity
is key to enhancing economic
cooperation with the region,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
said on Monday.
Modi spoke of the importance
of India’s relations with Kazakh-
stan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
when the foreign ministers of
the five countries jointly met
him. The foreign ministers were
in India for the third edition of
the India-Central Asia Dialogue
with their counterpart S Jais-
hankar. Jaishankar and National
Security Adviser Ajit Doval were
also present at the meeting
Press Trust of India
letters@hindustantimes.com
NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was
questioned for about six hours
on Monday by the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) at its office in
central Delhi in a case linked to
the 2016 ‘Panama Papers’, offi-
cials familiar with the matter
said.
Item
Sd/-
Executive Engineer
Pb. W/S & Sew. Division No. 2, Bathinda
City
CHECK
OUT
TODAY’S
EDITION
ANI
between Modi and the foreign
ministers. Modi “emphasised the
importance that India attaches
to its long-standing relations
with [the] Central Asian coun-
tries, which are part of its
‘extended neighbourhood’”, an
official statement said.
“He also underscored the
potential of enhanced economic
cooperation between India and
Central Asia, and the role of con-
nectivity in that regard,” the
statement added. Modi also con-
veyed his felicitations to the min-
isters on the 30th anniversary of
the independence of the Central
Asian states.
According to a joint statement
issued on Sunday, India and the
Central Asian states pushed for
concerted action against all terror
groups, saying Afghanistan’s soil
must not be used for planning or
financing terror attacks.
The quizzing of the 48-year-
old daughter-in-law of super-
star Amitabh Bachchan and
Samajwadi Party MP Jaya
Bachchan comes weeks after
her husband Abhishek Bach-
chan was questioned by the
agency in another case emerg-
ing from the same set of papers
linked to offshore accounts,
they said.
ED recorded Aishwarya Rai
My India 11
MODI SET TO VISIT
PRAYAGRAJ TODAY,
TRANSFER ₹1K CR TO
ACCOUNTS OF SHGS
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi will visit Pray-
agraj on Tuesday and transfer
₹1,000 crore in the bank
account of Self Help Groups
(SHGs), benefitting around 1.6
million women members of the
SHGs, a statement from the
Prime Minister’s Office
(PMO) said on Monday.
According to the PMO, this
transfer is being done under the
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana -
National Rural Livelihood Mis-
sion (DAY-NRLM), with 80,000
SHGs receiving Community
Investment Fund (CIF) of ₹1.10
lakh per SHG and 60,000 SHGs
receiving Revolving Fund of
₹15,000 per SHG.
PM Modi will also participate
in a programme that will be
attended by over 200,000
women, at around 1 PM, the
statement read.
The programme is being held
as per the vision of the Prime
Minister to empower women,
especially at the grassroots
level, by providing them with
the necessary skills, incentives
and resources.
The programme will also wit-
ness the Prime Minister encour-
aging Business Correspondent-
Sakhis (BC-Sakhis), by transfer-
ring ₹4,000 as the first month’s
stipend in the account of 20,000
BC-Sakhis.
When B.C.-Sakhis commence
their work as providers of door-
step financial services at the
grassroot level, they are paid a sti-
pend of ₹4,000 for six months, so
that they get stabilized in
their work and then start earning
through the commission
on transactions, the PMO
informed. AGENCIES
Bachchan’s statement under
the provisions of the Foreign
Exchange Management Act
(FEMA). The former Miss
World left the agency’s office
located in Jam Nagar house
here shortly after 7pm. Officials
said she was questioned for
about six hours.
No details of the statement
were available at the time of
going to print.