EU parliamentarians form India caucus
Brussels: India has achieved parity with Pakistan in the European Parliament, whose 626 members represent the democratic element in the 15-nation European Union (EU). A Friends of India group was inaugurated here on Wednesday, at a reception attended by some 60 MEPs, 100 or so of their assistants and parliamentary staff, and Indian ambassador to the EU PK Singh, and his colleagues. “The timing is very apposite for this initiative,” Dr Charles Tannock, MEP and one of the two co-presidents of the cross-party group, declared at the launch ceremony. “Peace and reconciliation are in the air, with a hand of friendship being extended by India to Pakistan, with no preconditions of bringing cross border terrorism to a complete halt before talks can commence,” Dr Tannock went on. He is one of the 36 Conservatives who are part of the 87 MEPs elected from the UK.
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J&K gets Rs 2,500cr & Rs 500cr for Nagaland
New Delhi: Annual plans for Jammu & Kashmir and Nagaland have been fixed at Rs 2,500 crore and Rs 500 crore respectively. The plans were finalised here on Thursday at two separate meetings Planning Commission deputy chairman KC Pant had with J&K chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio. The J&K plan size has gone up by Rs 300 crore, though the state failed to improve the fiscal situation. The increase comes in the wake of “special interest” shown by the Prime Minister for the state.
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