Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has said, India’s cultural diversity must always remain the vehicle of unity, peace, prosperity and happiness. He presented the ‘Hamsadhwani Thyagaraja Award’’ to the violin maestro M. Chandrasekharan at a function held at the Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai this evening.
In his address, Mr Naidu said, the cultural diversity of India is a delight that must always be celebrated through mutual interactions and reciprocity between people of different States so that a common spirit of understanding resonates throughout the country.
He stressed that this sense of understanding is essential now, as rifts threaten to divide and fragment the bonds of socio-cultural cohesion. He noted that mutual understanding and trust have always been the foundations of India's strength and all citizens should feel culturally integrated in all corners of the nation.
The Vice President said, the rich cultural diversity of India must form the platform on which its future is built and a path for its rapid growth and development is charted. He said, though we speak different languages, eat different food and wear different clothes, we must acknowledge that fundamentally, we are one nation, one people.
He applauded the Union Government for coming up with innovative programs like ‘Ek Bharat Shresta Bharat ’ where states are paired with each other and people are encouraged to learn about each other’s language, literature, cuisine, festivals and cultural events.
He also urged that the children must be taught to respect and appreciate cultures that are different from their own. He said, schools must sensitize children to different cultures and ways of life through frequent exchanges, cultural programs and exposure visits.
Jammu and Kashmir will remain an integral part of India for ever, and the world should act against countries that shelter terrorists, India told the Human Rights Council on Wednesday.
Speaking at the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council, Vikas Swarup, Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, highlighted India’s heritage of non-violence, and claimed that India believed in inclusive development.
Pakistan has been consistently critical of India’s decision to end the special status of Kashmir and has raised the issue in multiple platforms of the United Nantions since last August. But the Indian official pointed out that cross-border terrorism from Pakistan poses a grave challenge to India.
“Pakistan also felt it necessary to offer advice and warnings about the situation within India. To paraphrase the poet Robert Burns, someone should give them the power to see themselves as others see them,” Mr. Swarup said.
“As a nation that has suffered for decades from cross-border terrorism, India calls for decisive action against those who direct, control, fund, abet or shelter terrorists,” said the official in his speech.
The government will soon kick-start the process of revamping the nearly 20-year old Information Technology Act, 2000, with an aim to bring it in tune with the technological advancements with a focus on stronger framework to deal with cybercrimes, Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday.
An expert committee will be set up with members from the government as well as the industry for discussion on the new IT Act.Mr. Prasad said that the new Act will also factor-in larger issues, including Supreme Court’s judgment on privacy.
Noting that cyber issues have not been adequately responded to in the present IT Act, the Minister said the government may even look at including a separate chapter on cyber issues in the revamped Act.
The Minister added that one of the major challenges was the scale of users that consume technology. “The biggest challenge is the number of consumers we have to handle. Plus, today, in India, technology has become the centre of digital payment and delivery of services such as GST and UPI. This also raises the question of misuse [of technology]. The vastness of these platforms was not even contemplated when the IT Act came into being,” he said.
The Minister added that he had suggested to Mr. Nadella that Microsoft should consider adopting some digital villages and mentor them to make them beacons.
The Minister also pointed out that the issue of data sovereignty was discussed at the meeting. However, he did not share further details.
India and the United States yesterday finalized defence deals worth three billion dollars and signed three agreements, including in health and oil sectors.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on mental health between the health departments of both the two countries.
Another MoU on the safety of medical products was signed between the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization with the US Food and Drug Administration.
In a joint press meet after holding extensive talks with visiting US President Donald Trump in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the defence cooperation between two countries is reflective of the rising strategic partnership between India and US.
The Prime Minister said, they have decided to enhance efforts to hold supporters of terrorism accountable and agreed on new mechanism to contain drug trafficking.
Prime Minister added that both countries are committed to openness, fair and balanced trade and have decided to enhance strategic energy partnership.
In his statement, President Trump said, India and the US have expanded their defence cooperation with agreements for New Delhi to purchase more than three billion dollars of advanced American military equipment. Mr. Trump also affirmed the two countries' commitment to protect their citizens from radical Islamic terrorism.
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