Modi inclusive vision

                 Modi is one of only three people that Abe follows on Twitter, while the Indian

leader admires the Japanese premier's brand of nationalist politics."We will explore how

Japan can associate itself productively with my vision of inclusive development in India,"

Modi said before departing on Saturday for the five-day visit.

                He listed manufacturing, infrastructure and energy as key areas for cooperation. In

his previous role as chief minister of India's fast-growing western state of Gujarat Modi had

actively courted Japanese investment.

                Modi, is embarking on an intense month of diplomacy in which he will receive

Chinese President Xi Jinping before meeting U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington

as he seeks to carve out a stronger role for India as a global player.In Japan, he will lobby

for Abe to back a nuclear energy pact, although hopes of striking a similar accord to one

reached with the United States in 2008 had faded in the run-up to the visit.

               Japan wants explicit guarantees from India, which has not signed the nuclear non-

proliferation treaty, to limit atomic tests and allow closer inspection of its facilities to

ensure that spent fuel is not used to make bombs.

               Speaking to Japanese reporters, Modi addressed those concerns: "Our track

record of non-proliferation is impeccable," he said, adding that India would uphold a

"unilateral and voluntary" moratorium on explosive nuclear weapons testing.

               Also under discussion will be a proposal to formalize a 'Two Plus Two' format for

talks bringing together the foreign and defense ministers of both countries, reflecting

shared concerns about an increasingly assertive China.India's Prime Minister Narendra

Modi (front R) shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shin …

BUDDHISM AND BULLET TRAIN

                Modi was due to attend a dinner with Abe on Saturday evening in Kyoto, a city the

Indian leader associates with a Buddhist heritage shared by both Japan and India.Modi

also hopes that Kyoto will serve as a template for his vision of building 100 'smart' cities in

India - and to develop the ancient Indian holy city of Varanasi on the river Ganges that he

represents in parliament.At his next stop in Tokyo, Modi will seek to drum up the inward

investment he needs to bring to life the appeal to "Come, make in India" he made in a

speech this month to mark India's independence day.India, Asia's third-largest economy

after China and Japan, needs faster economic growth to create work for the one million

young people who enter the workforce every month.  more >>

PM tours Japan

                 
                       Modi was accompanied by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his visit to a historic

temple a day after he had a private dinner with Abe.

                       It is unusual for a Japanese prime minister to greet a foreign guest outside

Tokyo.The two leaders visited the 1,200-year-old Buddhist temple of Toji, a World Heritage

site, and offered prayers in front of ancient statues early Sunday.

                     They also took a short walk near a five-storey pagoda in the company of a

priest. Buddhism, born in the Indian subcontinent, was brought to Japan through China and

Korea in the sixth century.Later in the day Modi met Nobel Prize-winning stem cell

researcher Shinya Yamanaka, who heads the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application

at Kyoto University and briefed the Indian leader about cutting-edge research.

                     Modi arrived Saturday at Kansai International Airport near the western city of

Osaka by special plane for a night in nearby Kyoto.He will hold an official summit with Abe

in Tokyo on Monday as well as meetings with business leaders.

                    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

during a visit to To …Both nations hope to curb Beijing's rising activity in the East and South

China Seas and the Indian Ocean.In New Delhi, the Indian premier told Japanese media in

an interview last week that the two nations could "upgrade" their relations in the fields of

defence and security."

                   I see in the recent changes in Japan's defence export policies and regulations a

possibility to engage in a new era of cooperation in high-end defence technology and

equipment," he said.At the summit the two premiers are likely to agree on launching a

 "two-plus-two" security consultative framework involving their foreign and defence

ministers, according to Japanese media. more >>

PM Modi to visit Japan

                     Prime Minister Narendra Modiwill undertake a four-day visit to Japan beginning

on August 30 during which he will hold discussions on his dream project of 'Smart Cities'

                    During his visit, he will also hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe

to take the strategic partnership between the two sides to a new level. He will also talks

with the Japanese ministers and businessmen.

                    Briefing the media here about the Prime Minister's forthcoming visit to Japan,

Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said, "The PM is keen to

rejuvenate Indian cities as urban centres and Kyoto is a magnificent example of how a city

preserves its cultural heritage while also modernizing itself. Also, the PM's project of 'Smart

Cities' will also be fulfilled in Kyoto, which is seen in Japan as a city which is

environmentally friendly, preserves its heritage and is at the cutting edge of technology.""

                  Also, consultations are going on between Kyoto and Varanasi, with Varanasi

trying to draw experiences which have been successful in the Japanese city," he added.

                  He will also be visiting the Kobe University, which focuses on stem cell research.

The Prime Minister will also be inaugurating the Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Tokyo

during his visit   more >>

open bank accounts

                    Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched the program on Thursday,

saying it would give the poor "renewed strength to fight poverty."

                  "When a bank account is opened, it's a step towards joining the economic

mainstream," said Modi, who swept to power in May after an election campaign that

promised an end to corruption, a revival in economic growth and a fairer society.

                  The program may eventually help sideline extortionate money lenders or

unscrupulous banks, some of which are blamed for driving tens of thousands of

impoverished farmers to suicide each year over debts amounting to just a few thousand

dollars.

                  Tens of thousands of people have applied to open accounts since Aug. 15, when

Modi announced the campaign in his Independence Day speech to the nation, bank

managers said.Modi had urged banks in a recent letter to "try your best to ensure that no

one is left without a bank account." The goal is to sign up 150 million people by 2018.

About half of India's 1.2 billion people lack bank accounts."

                 There is an urgency to this exercise, as all other development activities are

hindered by this single disability," Modi's letter said, according to his web site.The four-

year program may also help beat back the endemic corruption affecting almost every level

of Indian bureaucracy, by channeling government welfare and work payments directly into

the accounts of individuals rather than through regional and local offices. more >>

PM Modi visits AIIMS

                   New Delhi, Aug 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi underwent his first check-up

at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here on Sunday.According to reports,

Modi visited AIIMS at around 7 am for the routine check-up that is held every three months.

   see more >>

Government scores on black money trail,

                  “ Some progress has been made,” a Bench headed by Justice H. L. Dattu said

after perusing the contents of the first interim report submitted in a sealed cover by the 13-

member Special Investigation Team ( SIT) headed by Justice ( retd) M. B. Shah. The SIT

was set up by the NDA Cabinet on its first day in office, one day before the deadline set by the SC was to expire.

                    The court is hearing a PIL filed by senior criminal lawyer and Bharatiya Janata

Party ( BJP) leader Ram Jethmalani seeking SC’s intervention in bringing back over ` 70

lakh crore of black money.

                    Recovering the money was high on BJP’s election manifesto as well.According

to sources, the SIT has said in its report that it has received data on over 24,085 instances

of alleged tax evasion and dubious funds that have been detected on foreign shores in the

last financial year. The two big areas identified as those generating the maximum black

money are mining and real estate.

                  New Zealand shared 10,372 pieces of data. The other countries that have offered

Indian authorities information are Spain ( 4,169 instances); the UK ( 3,164); Sweden (

2,404); Denmark ( 2,145); Finland ( 685); Portugal ( 625); Japan ( 440); and Slovenia ( 44).

Australia, Mexico, Italy, and Trinidad and Tobago also responded to India’s request with

relatively smaller pieces of data in the last fiscal. The court also said Jethmalani and his

counsel are free to interact with the SIT to make suggestions as to the manner and means

by which black money stashed abroad can be brought back to India.  more >>