During the call, which was made from the US side, there was a reaffirmation of the Indo-Pacific vision, backed by both Washington and Delhi. Issues concerning bilateral ties, regional concerns and global agendas were also discussed between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his US Counterpart.

NSA Ajit Doval on January 26 congratulated Jake Sullivan on his appointment as the National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden.

“NSA Doval underscored that as leading democracies, with an abiding faith in an open and inclusive world order, India and the US were uniquely positioned to work closely on regional and international issues including combating the scourge of terrorism, maritime security, cyber security and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,” a statement by the Ministry of External Affaris (MEA) said.

India-US defence ties have been on an upward trajectory since June 2016 when the US designated India as a “Major Defence Partner”.

In the final days of the Trump administration, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited India and the two countries signed the crucial BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement which provides for sharing of high-end military technology geospatial maps between the two countries.

Prior to BECA, India and the US signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 and Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the pan-India inoculation of Covid-19 vaccine on Saturday at 10.30 am through video conferencing.

The coronavirus vaccination drive, one of the world’s largest vaccination programme, begins weeks after the DCGI approved Oxford coronvirus vaccine ‘Covishield’ manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute, and indigenously developed ‘Covaxin’ of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.

In India, priority groups who are more exposed to the Covid-19 infection and are likely in the high-risk zone would be vaccinated first. Healthcare workers, both in the government and private sectors, including Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers, will receive the vaccine during this phase. Adequate doses of both Covishield and Covaxin have already been delivered to all states/UTs with the active support of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

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This year, the forum will witness conversations centered on refueling the economy and charting a course for the future, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

The inaugural forum was held in Singapore, followed by a second edition in Beijing, covering issues such as global economic management, trade and investment, technology, urbanisation, capital markets, climate change and inclusion.

Director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, former US President Bill Clinton, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres are some of the other speakers scheduled to address the forum.

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“One million is a terrible number and we need to reflect on that before we start considering a second million. Are we prepared collectively to do what it takes to avoid that number? If we don’t take those actions… yes, we will be looking at that number and sadly much higher,” WHO emergency director Michael Ryan told reporters.

The United States is one of the worst hit countries due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the country has recorded more than seven million positive cases, and 2,08,000 deaths. India is also facing the wrath of the coronavirus pandemic, and the country is all set to touch the six million positive cases mark. In India alone, coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 93,410 people.

A few weeks back, Anthony Fauci had claimed that coronavirus is a perfect storm with no end in near sight. The recent warning from WHO indicates that Fauci’s words are turning true.

“We are living, right now, through a historic pandemic outbreak. And, we are, right now, in a situation where we do not see any particular end in sight. It’s the perfect storm. We often talk about outbreaks and pandemics, be they influenza or other pathogens, that have to have a few characteristics that make them particularly formidable. Well, this particular virus has that,” said Fauci.

In the meantime, British prime minister Boris Johnson has revealed that the United Kingdom will not return to normalcy in the next six months, as the coronavirus cases in the country started resurging again.

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But it is clear that the leadership does not have any kind of plan or project for that. Kapil Sibal’s harsh criticism that the party’s constitution should be changed if nominations continue instead of organisational elections can be considered as falling on deaf ears of the leadership.

It was after quite a long time that Congress President Sonia Gandhi announced the reconstitution of the Working Committee and the AICC. The move comes after 23 leaders, including Kapil Sibal, submitted a letter demanding permanent leadership of the party. But when the reorganisation was carried out, many of the front-runners in the letter were ignored. Ghulam Nabi Azad lost his membership of the Working Committee.

It is in this context that Kapil Sibal has once again come out with a critique of the leadership. Kapil Sibal pointed out that their only demand was to implement what is stated in the party governing structure. He said that it would be better to change the constitution if the party leadership was not interested in reorganisation of the party through the elections mentioned in the constitution.

Some party leaders claim the Congress to be the largest democratic party in the country. This claim may be due to the fact that they do not see the BJP as a democratic party but retains the character of a cadre party. At present, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah decide things in the BJP. Even the BJP president is forced to tow their line. But leaders of the Congress, which they claim to be the largest democratic party in the country, need to think about how different the situation is in Congress.

Unfortunately, the Congress does not even have the kind of democracy that exists within the BJP. A leader like Narendra Modi was able to rise to the top of the party and the country only because the BJP did not have a family rule like in the Congress. The Congress has not changed the belief that it is deluged after watching Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka holding the mantle of the party for years. The dependent leaders around them are those who do not want this situation to change.

The attitude of the Nehru family towards the Congress itself is now very strange. Sonia Gandhi does not want to continue as president due to age limitations. Instead, Rahul Gandhi was brought to the post. But when Rahul opted to step down from presidency following the 2019 election defeat, Sonia Gandhi was forced to return to the post instead. Sonia Gandhi is still the caretaker president. Priyanka has no interest in becoming a leader.

These three, who do not want to take the lead, are not interested in finding a president outside the Nehru family. What they are saying is that the scripture of the party is to find a new president, working committee and AICC by organising elections even if the dependents object. The practice of nomination continues unabated.

If the Nehru family was once the strength of the Congress leadership, today the situation is quite different. It is such that a revival of the party is possible only if it is properly reorganised with the Nehru family kept away. Even if Sonia Gandhi, the caretaker president, were to step down, Rahul, who is still making decisions behind the scenes and remains unstable as a leader, could not be expected to revive the party.

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The Speaker has called a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, which began at 11 am on September 13, to discuss the agenda for the session that concludes on October 1. Among those attending the meeting are Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, BJP’s Arjun Ram Meghwal, Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi.

In that meeting, issues such as the abolition of Question Hour and the curtailing of Zero Hour are likely to be raised. The government has stood firm on its decision of not resuming the Question Hour, which has generated much resentment among the opposition MPs.

A decision on the discussion on the Indo-China stand-off, the contraction in economy and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic will be issues the opposition is expected to raise.

The government has to decide whether it will agree for these short-duration discussions without voting. In 2017, citing national security, the government had refused to speak on Doklam.

Parliament was adjourned indefinitely in March, days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the countrywide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus.

This is also the first parliament session being held after 20 soldiers were killed in the line of duty in Ladakh, amid clashes with China. The fatality at the Line of Actual Control – the de facto border between the two nations – in June is a first in four decades and the government may find it difficult to avoid a discussion on the issue.

Ahead of the session, all the members of parliament were requested to get themselves tested for COVID-19. The pandemic has cast a shadow over the monsoon session, with at least seven union ministers and two dozen lawmakers recovering from COVID-19. Around 200 of the 785 MPs are above the age of 65 years, the population vulnerable to coronavirus.

The session will have the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha working in separate shifts and there will be special seating for MPs to ensure distancing. Lok Sabha will sit from 9am to 1pm on the first day and from 3pm to 7pm till October 1. Rajya Sabha will sit from 3pm to 7pm the first day and 9pm to 1pm the rest of the days. Weekends will be working days.

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He said the global toy industry is over Rs.7 lakh crore but India’s share is very small, as he stressed on the need to work to increase it.

Modi called upon start-up entrepreneurs to ‘team up for toys’ and said it is time to get vocal for local toys.

In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, the prime minister also said people have shown an unprecedented restraint and simplicity in their festivals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also hailed farmers for increase in sowing area for different grains.

“This is a time for festivals but at the same time, there is also a sense of discipline among people due to the COVID-19 situation…There is a close link between nature and our festivals,” Modi said.

He also asked young entrepreneurs to develop computer games in and also about India.

In his address, Modi also noted that India will complete its 75 years of Independence in 2022 and suggested a host of measures to teachers to help bring to light contributions of thousands and lakhs of “unsung heroes” of the freedom struggle.

It is important that our youngsters are aware of them, he said.

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According to the data by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India recorded 18,522 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the overall count to 5,66,840. The death toll from the virus has now climbed to 16,893 with 418 persons succumbing to the viral infection in the last 24 hours. 3,35,271 COVID-19 patients cured so far.

Meanwhile , Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be addressing the nation at 4 pm on Tuesday. This would be his sixth address to the nation since the outbreak of the pandemic. In his last address to the nation on 12 May, he had announced a 20-lakh-crore financial package to boost the economy.

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