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Category: India

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister recalls profound impact of Bhagwan Mahavir’s Ideals on Mahavir Jayanti

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 10 APR 2025 3:30PM by PIB Delhi

    The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today remembered timeless teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, recalling the deep influence of his teachings on his own life.

    Modi Archive, in a post on X, reflected on the Prime Minister’s long-standing spiritual bond with Bhagwan Mahavir’s teachings and the Jain community.

    Responding to the X post of  Modi Archive, the Prime Minister posted on X;

    “The ideals of Bhagwan Mahavir have greatly inspired countless people, including me. His thoughts show the way to build a peaceful and compassionate planet.”

     

     

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Agence française de développement commits additional €3 million to Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility to boost digital financial inclusion

    Source: African Development Bank Group

    The Agence française de développement (AFD) has committed an additional €3 million to the African Development Bank-managed Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI) to accelerate financial inclusion in Africa.

    The increase brings AFD’s total funding to over €5 million. The resources will support the ADFI partnership in catalyzing digital financial solutions across Africa by expanding investment in scalable and replicable initiatives that enable access to credit and other financial services that support investment and entrepreneurship among underserved communities.

    The African Development Bank and AFD co-founded ADFI in 2019 with the Gates Foundation and the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Luxembourg. France’s Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, the Women’s Enterprise Finance Initiative (We-Fi), and India’s Ministry of Finance joined in 2020, 2022 and 2023 respectively.

    AFD Group is strongly committed to accelerating the mobilization of financial and human resources to align the financial systems with the Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that vulnerable populations—especially in regions most affected by climate change—can access financial tools that help them adapt and thrive.

    “Developing digital financial services is a key pathway to reach financially excluded populations in Africa,” said Audrey Brule-Françoise, head of AFD’s Financial Systems Division. “Through our continued collaboration within ADFI, we aim to promote access to digital financial services that are tailored to diverse needs and delivered in a responsible manner. This new contribution will help scale up impactful and inclusive solutions.”

    Mohamadou Ba, head of the African Development Bank’s Financial Intermediation and Inclusion Division, said, “Digital financial solutions are key to improving the quality of life of people in Africa and reducing the gender access to finance gap. We welcome the Agence française de développement’s renewed support of the catalytic role ADFI has been playing in accelerating greater access and usage of digital financial solutions and financial inclusion across the continent. We look forward to working together to scale our efforts to enhance the impact on greater economic empowerment, resilience, and growth across Africa.”

    Recent data shows that nearly half the continent’s adult population does not benefit from digital financial solutions, particularly women, youth, farmers, small businesses, and rural communities.

    ADFI works to expand digital financial solutions across Africa through strategic investments in digital infrastructure, policy and regulation, and product innovation, with a special focus on reducing gender gaps and building capacity.

    ADFI aligns with the African Development Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy for inclusive growth and its priority to improve the quality of life for the people of Africa. It also advances the mandate of the Bank’s financial sector development department to improve access to finance for the underserved. ADFI works to scale innovative digital financial solutions under the three broad strategic pillars of infrastructure, policies, regulations, and product innovation. Capacity building and gender inclusion cut across all interventions.

    About Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

    Agence Française de Développement (AFD) helps advance France’s policy on sustainable investment and international solidarity. Through its public sector and NGO financing operations, research and publications (Éditions AFD), sustainable development training programs (AFD Group Campus) and awareness-raising activities in France, AFD finances, supports and drives the transition to a fairer, more resilient world.

    Alongside its partners, AFD provides sustainable solutions for—and with—communities. AFD teams are working on over 2,700 projects in the field, in over 115 countries, including France’s overseas departments and territories, to support projects for the climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality and global health. Together with Proparco and Expertise France, AFD supports the commitment of France and the French people to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI China: Tanzanian students embrace Chinese language as tourism boom drives demand

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Seated in a modest classroom, Tanzanian tourism student Noel Ivon Isack intently traces Chinese characters in his notebook. The 19-year-old aspires to leverage his new language skills to build a career to guide visitors through Tanzania’s renowned wildlife reserves and scenic beaches.

    “I want to make Chinese visitors feel at home,” said Isack, a third-year student at the National College of Tourism (NCT) in Dar es Salaam. “Most of them only speak Chinese, so if we want them to enjoy Tanzania, we must speak their language.”

    With a growing influx of Chinese tourists, Tanzania’s state-run tourism college has launched Chinese language courses in collaboration with the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam to nurture future industry professionals. Of the 531 students currently enrolled, 215 have chosen to study Chinese.

    “It is a game changer,” said Farida Sebastian Masalu, the campus manager. “We want to give our students a competitive edge as Tanzania strengthens ties with China.”

    Since 2023, Tanzania has ramped up efforts to attract Chinese visitors. One major step was launching the promotional film Amazing Tanzania in Beijing in May 2024, featuring President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Zanzibar’s President Hussein Ali Mwinyi, and Chinese actor Jin Dong.

    “These initiatives promote Tanzania’s tourism and deepen the friendship between our countries,” Masalu said.

    Tanzania is already seeing results. According to Ephraim Mafuru, director general of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), arrivals from China jumped from 44,000 to 62,000 in the past nine months.

    “Our goal is to attract at least 1 percent of China’s international travelers,” said Ephraim. “That is 1.3 million tourists, and we are just getting started.”

    To support this ambition, the TTB has partnered with local institutions like NCT to provide Chinese language training for tour guides and workers in the broader tourism value chain.

    “The language barrier remains one of our biggest challenges,” Mafuru said. “But we are working on it. Chinese visitors will feel much more comfortable being welcomed in their language.”

    According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania received over 5.36 million tourists in 2024, including 2.14 million international visitors. The country earned about 4 billion U.S. dollars in tourism revenue that year, a significant increase from 2023, Minister Pindi Chana announced in February 2025.

    Pan Lei from “Fashion Tourism,” the first Chinese tourist company in Tanzania, told Xinhua that Tanzania boasts some of the world’s richest wildlife resources, including the Great Migration in the Serengeti plains. It is also home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, and Zanzibar, the pearl of the Indian Ocean.

    “This is just the beginning,” said Mafuru. “China is an essential part of our strategy to grow tourism in the years ahead.”

    Back in the classroom, 28-year-old student Rajabu Almasi sees the Chinese language as more than just a skill. He sees it as an investment. “You cannot ignore China,” he said. “If we want to succeed in tourism, we need to understand our guests, their language, their culture, and their needs.”

    Asha Fum Khamis, a Chinese language instructor assigned by the Confucius Institute to teach at NCT, echoed this sentiment. “I am not just teaching a language,” she said. I am preparing these students for real opportunities, including jobs, partnerships, and cultural bridges.”

    Khamis said Chinese-speaking Tanzanians will soon be in high demand across the tourism sector, from tour guiding to hospitality and beyond.

    “The wave is coming,” she said with a smile. “Our students will be ready to ride it.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech: Treaty Principles Bill, second reading

    Source: ACT Party

    Intro

    I move, That the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill be now read a second time.

    Mr Speaker, members of this House, who’ve so far been so fortified against reason, can still change their minds and send this Bill onwards to a referendum of the people.

    I ask that Members listen carefully, to understand the choice they’d be denying the New Zealand people by opposing this Bill.

    Five decades ago the House passed the Treaty of Waitangi Act. Parliament said the Treaty had Principles. It did not say what they were, but nor are they going away.

    Even the National Party-New Zealand First commitment to review the Principles will not get rid of them. It will not touch the Treaty of Waitangi Act that gave us the Principles, and it will only ‘review’ them in other Bills. Review, that is, with the help of Te Puni Kokiri.

    With the elected Parliament silent on the Principles, the unelected judges, Waitangi Tribunal, and public servants have defined them instead. They say the Treaty is ‘a partnership between races.’ They say one race has a special place in New Zealand.

    The practical effects of the Partnership Principle

    In recent years the effects of these principles have become more and more obvious.

    We’ve seen a separate Māori Health Authority.

    We’ve seen Resource Management decisions held up for years awaiting Cultural Impact Assessments.

    We’ve seen half the seats governing three waters infrastructure reserved for one sixth of the population.

    We’ve seen public entities appoint two Chief Executives to represent each side of the so-called Partnership.

    We’ve seen a history curriculum that indoctrinates children to believe our history is a simple story of victims and villains.

    Some will say a Government can change these things, and indeed our Government is. Here’s the problem, though. Another Government can just as easily bring those policies back, because the bad ideas behind them were never confronted by most of the Government.

    That’s why we see professional bodies, Universities, the public service, and schools watering the divisive idea that the Treaty is a Partnership, hoping it will grow again.

    The Problem with the Partnership Principle

    The Partnership tells us that Kiwis should be ranked by the arrival time of their ancestors.

    We’ve seen it in recent weeks with the disgraceful attacks on my colleague Parmjeet Parmar for being a migrant who proudly chose this country. That the comments were made by the Dean of a Law School, who faced no consequences, shows how low our country has sunk.

    The idea that your race matters is a version of a bigger idea. It is part of the idea that our lives are determined by things out of our control. They may have occurred before we were even born. It’s a denial that we each can make a difference in our own lives, and have a right to do so.

    This kind of primitive determinism should have no place in New Zealand. We are all thinking and valuing beings with nga tikanga katoa rite tahi, the same rights and duties, just as te tiriti itself says.

    That’s why the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill would finally define the Principles, in line with the Treaty itself, as giving equal rights for all Kiwis.

    The Principles Proposed by the Bill

    Let me read the proposed Principles. If anyone wants to vote against this bill, let them explain, specifically, why they oppose these principles.

    Principle 1

    The Executive Government of New Zealand has full power to govern, and the Parliament of New Zealand has full power to make laws,—

    (a)   in the best interests of everyone; and

    (b)   in accordance with the rule of law and the maintenance of a free and democratic society.

    Principle 2

    (1)   The Crown recognises, and will respect and protect, the rights that hapū and iwi Māori had under the Treaty of Waitangi/te Tiriti o Waitangi at the time they signed it.

    (2)   However, if those rights differ from the rights of everyone, subclause (1) applies only if those rights are agreed in the settlement of a historical treaty claim under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975.

    Principle 3

    (1)   Everyone is equal before the law.

    (2)   Everyone is entitled, without discrimination, to—

    (a)   the equal protection and equal benefit of the law; and

    (b)   the equal enjoyment of the same fundamental human rights.

    People should ask themselves, what is the best argument they have against these principles? Are they prepared to say that argument out loud? If not, perhaps they should support this Bill.

    The Select Committee Submissions

    I now turn to the submissions to the Select Committee. I’d like to thank the Chair and most members of the Committee. They heard eighty hours of submissions, a near record.

    Submissions are not a referendum. If MPs believe the Bill should be passed depending on public opinion, they should front up, vote for the Bill, and send it to an actual referendum.

    Many bills have attracted large numbers of opposing submissions, and yet been very popular with the general public. End of Life Choice and Abortion Law Reform both attracted 90 per cent opposition at select Committee, but proved overwhelmingly popular with the public.

    So it is with these principles. They are supported by the public by a ratio of two-to-one, but most of the public are too busy working productive jobs to submit on select committees.

    Select committees don’t tell us about numbers, but they can tell us about ideas. I believe the submission process has been very useful.

    Some argued against the Bill’s first principle, that this Parliament has the full power to make laws. They said that the chiefs never ceded sovereignty.

    What they cannot explain is how a society is supposed to work without clear laws that apply equally to all. The answer is that it does not and cannot work. Those people who believe a County or an Indian Band having limited jurisdiction in a limited territory is the same as shared sovereignty cannot be taken seriously.

    Still others argued that maybe Parliament can make laws, but it cannot make this law. What they’re really saying is that they’re happy for the unelected to decide the constitutional future of the country, but not this House of Representatives, and not the people in referendum.

    Those are fundamentally undemocratic propositions. Anyone opposing the Bill on those grounds is really saying they do not trust the New Zealand people to determine their future. I’m proud that my Party does.

    There were two objections that cancelled each other out.

    One said, the Bill isn’t needed because Māori don’t have special rights.

    The other said, the Bill is an abomination because it denies Māori special rights.

    Which one is it? The truth is we are all equal, deep down, but too many of our policies aim to treat people differently based on ancestry. That is why we should remove the idea that New Zealanders have different rights, ranked by the arrival of their ancestors.

    A more interesting objection is that Māori have group rights to such things as language and culture. Some Māori have been told that this Bill would take away their mana, their reo, their tikanga. That is deliberate, cynical misinformation by opponents of the bill.

    The truth is that all New Zealanders have culture, we all have language, we all have customs. Māori are not alone in those things. The proposed principle two says the Crown should uphold the rights of Māori, to the same extent it upholds the rights for all.

    It means if we’re going to have Divali, Lunar New Year, and the Highland games, of course we should also have Kapa Haka. That is a vision of a country where all cultures thrive.

    The same can be said for language. We have media in many languages, there’s no reason te reo Māori should not be available. The Bill provides for that, we just don’t need to divide the country into a partnership between races to do it.

    Other critics said the Bill must be wrong because the unelected bureaucracy said so. That misses the whole point of the Bill. If we wanted to be ruled by the unelected we could keep the principles they’ve dreamed up. The problem is they contradict equal rights and democracy.

    Finally, some critics said the debate is divisive. I say it has revealed division. It has revealed a sizeable minority of New Zealanders simply aren’t committed to equal rights and liberal democracy.

    Conclusion

    I want to end with a quote from a Jewish man who wrote a book in Christchurch while hiding from the Nazis. The Book is the Open Society and it’s Enemies, and it’s been described as the most important book ever written in New Zealand. His name was Sir Karl Popper and he said:

    The more we try to return to the heroic age of tribalism, the more surely do we arrive at the Inquisition, at the Secret Police, and at a romanticized gangsterism. Beginning with the suppression of reason and truth, we must end with the most brutal and violent destruction of all that is human. There is no return to a harmonious state of nature. If we turn back, then we must go the whole way—we must return to the beasts…

    But if we wish to remain human, then there is only one way, the way into the open society. We must go on into the unknown, the uncertain and insecure, using what reason we may have to plan as well as we can for both security and freedom.

    A free society takes hard work and uneasy conversations. I’m proud my party has the bravery, the clarity, and the patriotism to raise uneasy topics.

    I challenge the other parties to find those qualities within themselves and support this Bill so New Zealanders can vote on it at referendum.

    If they do not, one party will never give up on the simple idea that all Kiwis are equal, no matter when your ancestors arrived.

    We will fight on for the truth, that All Kiwis are Equal, AKE, AKE, AKE.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Shared Vision, Shared Responsibility – Strenghtening NBFCs – Speech by Shri Swaminathan J, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India – March 28, 2025 – at the Conference of Non-Banking Financial Companies held at Chennai

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    CA Shri Charanjot Singh Nanda, President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India; Chairpersons of the Audit Committee of the Boards, MDs & CEOs of NBFCs, and Statutory Auditors of NBFCs, Executive Directors from RBI and my colleagues from the Reserve Bank of India, Ladies and Gentlemen. A very good morning to all of you.

    1. It is an honour to address this esteemed gathering representing the key pillars of the NBFC ecosystem —CEOs entrusted with driving business responsibly, Chairpersons of Audit Committees overseeing assurance, Statutory Auditors who ensure transparency and integrity, along with regulators and supervisors committed to maintaining financial stability and fostering a sound regulatory environment. The theme of our engagement today — “Shared Vision, Shared Responsibility – Strengthening the NBFCs” — could not be more timely or relevant.

    2. The evolution of the NBFC sector is indeed a story of entrepreneurial energy, innovation and social impact. However, as the sector grows in scale and systemic importance, so too must our efforts to reinforce its foundations. A resilient, customer-centric, and well-governed NBFC sector is a shared aspiration — and delivering on it our shared responsibility.

    3. NBFCs have emerged as powerful engines of credit. By complementing the traditional banking system, they have significantly expanded access to credit, particularly for segments that have historically been underserved or excluded. Through innovative credit delivery models that harness technology and local insights, NBFCs have been able to design customised financial products tailored to diverse borrower needs. Their agility and close connect with customers have enabled them to play a role that is not only complementary to the role traditionally played by banks but, in many instances, catalytic in building a financial ecosystem characterised by deeper intermediation and wider opportunity.

    4. The importance of NBFCs has only grown with time. In fact, over the past decade, their growth has consistently outpaced that of banks — a trend that has become even more pronounced in the last few years. This rapid growth is a testament to the sector’s relevance and resilience — but it also raises the stakes. As NBFCs become more systemically important, the standards of governance, risk management, and customer treatment must rise accordingly.

    Understanding the Risks- Need for Responsible Innovation

    5. The business model of NBFCs — while effective — comes with its own set of structural risks. Their funding is short-term as compared to the maturity of their lending or is directed towards higher-risk customer segments.

    6. This maturity and credit transformation is at the heart of the NBFC model — but it also demands a heightened focus on risk management. If not carefully managed, it can create vulnerabilities, especially during periods of market stress or liquidity shocks.

    7. Risk-taking must be intelligent and well planned, and never beyond the risk absorption capacity of the entity concerned. Liquidity and credit risks must be rigorously assessed and managed. Asset-liability mismatches, nature and tenor of the funding sources, and concentration risks all need board-level oversight which should be ably supported by robust internal controls.

    Growth with Fairness: Customer-Centricity is Non-Negotiable

    8. Most importantly, even as we pursue scale, speed, and profits, we must not lose sight of fairness to the customer — that is the cornerstone of a sustainable business model. The NBFC sector must live up to its promise of inclusion by treating customers with dignity, transparency, and care. This entails ensuring transparent and easy-to-understand pricing, free from hidden charges or usurious interest rates. In instances of default, recovery practices must be conducted in an empathetic and respectful manner.

    9. Unfortunately, some NBFCs think they can pursue a business model where it is par for the course to resort to weak underwriting in pursuit of quick growth, coupled with excessive and unsustainable interest rates — at times masked as upfront charges or processing fees — which is followed by aggressive recovery practices upon default. Let me state unequivocally: this is not an acceptable model. Financial inclusion cannot be used as a pretext for financial exploitation. I urge each one of you to commit your institutions to upholding fairness in all your dealings.

    10. This responsibility for fair conduct is shared commitment by the CEO, the Board, and assurance functions in any entity. A customer-centric culture must be driven from the top and embedded at all levels.

    11. How do we ensure that our shared vision is realised, and our collective responsibilities are fulfilled? One of the most effective ways is by strengthening both internal and external assurance mechanisms.

    Strengthening Oversight: the Role of Audit Committee

    12. Let me begin with the Audit Committee of the Board (ACB). Far from being a routine compliance requirement, the ACB is the lynchpin of institutional oversight and long-term financial health. It plays a critical role in reinforcing governance, guiding management on assurance, and ensuring the integrity of internal control systems. When functioning effectively, it becomes a proactive forum for identifying vulnerabilities and initiating timely corrective actions.

    13. The role of the Audit Committee Chairperson is particularly significant in setting the tone for effective governance. It is essential that committee meetings are held regularly, conducted with clear purpose, and thoroughly documented to ensure accountability and follow-through.

    14. The effectiveness of the Committee is in the substance of its deliberations. The ACB must actively monitor the adequacy and functioning of internal control systems — not merely to confirm their presence, but to ensure they are operating effectively in practice. Similarly, audit observations should not remain confined to meeting minutes; they must translate into timely and meaningful corrective actions. A strong ACB also tracks audit findings and ensures that corrective measures are implemented without delay.

    15. Equally important is the establishment of an effective whistleblower mechanism overseen by the Board or the ACB which empowers employees and grants them anonymity, to report unethical or non-compliant behaviour, without fear of reprisal.

    16. CEOs too have a crucial role in upholding the integrity of financial reporting. They must actively deter any attempts—whether deliberate or cleverly disguised—to misapply accounting standards or regulatory provisions. It is equally important to foster an environment where the Chief Financial Officer and Head of Internal Audit feel empowered to engage in open, honest, and transparent dialogue with the Audit Committee of the Board.

    The Crucial Role of Statutory Auditors

    17. Now let me come to the role of Statutory Auditors, who are an indispensable part of the assurance ecosystem. In fact, the role of auditors has never been more critical — not merely in checking compliance, but in upholding trust. And trust, once lost, is hard to rebuild.

    18. Auditors are expected to provide an independent, professional opinion on whether the financial statements present a true and fair view of the NBFC’s financial position and comply with regulatory and accounting standards. However, in today’s complex and dynamic environment, this is no longer enough.

    19. Recent incidents — both in India and abroad — have shown that traditional financial audits must evolve. Auditors must bring technical expertise, forensic insight, and an ethical lens to their work. Red flags must not be ignored. Complex structures, derivatives, off-balance sheet items, related party transactions, and provisioning policies must be closely examined.

    Facilitative Role of Regulators and Supervisors

    20. As regulators and supervisors, we shoulder a dual responsibility — to safeguard stability and discipline, while also fostering an environment that encourages innovation, inclusion, and sustainable growth. Contrary to perception in certain quarters, our approach actively seeks to strike the right balance. At the Reserve Bank of India, we are acutely aware that regulation is not merely about control; it is about enabling responsible financial intermediation within a well-defined and transparent framework. Several initiatives in recent years reflect this facilitative and proportionate approach to regulation. In my previous role as a commercial banker, I had the fortuitous opportunity to be closely associated with one such initiative -the Regulations Review Authority 2.0 – which reinforced the RBI’s strong commitment to easing the regulatory burden and streamlining compliance without compromising regulatory objectives.

    21. The regulatory framework for NBFCs has evolved in the recent years with this understanding — gradually moving toward greater harmonisation with banks where warranted, while still preserving operational flexibility suited to the unique role NBFCs play in the financial system. The introduction of the scale-based regulatory framework explicitly recognises that the intensity of regulation and supervision must be proportionate to systemic importance. At the same time, the regulatory architecture encourages the development of responsible innovation and healthy competition in the sector.

    22. Similarly, the role of the supervisor has also become more interactive and forward-looking. It is not just about identifying compliance breaches after the fact, but about engaging with entities to strengthen internal systems, enhance governance, and build resilience against emerging risks. Through onsite inspections, offsite surveillance, thematic reviews, and structured engagements, the supervisory process aims to be a partner in the financial sector’s long-term soundness — not an impediment to its progress.

    Conclusion

    23. Our shared vision is clear: a dynamic, inclusive, and trusted NBFC sector that complements the banking system and serves the evolving needs of the Indian economy. And the way to achieve it is through shared responsibility — in governance, in customer protection, in financial prudence, and in ethical conduct.

    24. We in the regulatory community stand committed to supporting this journey. Our intent is not to stifle innovation but to ensure that growth is sustainable, risks are well-managed, and customer trust is never compromised. On behalf of the RBI, I can assure you that as regulators and supervisors we will remain committed to playing our part, not just as watchdogs, but as enablers of a robust, inclusive, and future-ready financial ecosystem.

    25. This conference gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we can contribute to this shared agenda. Whether making strategic decisions, chairing audit committees, or signing off on financials, drafting regulations or conducting supervision — we are shaping the sector’s future.

    26. Therefore, let us work together — with clarity of purpose and unity of action — to build a stronger, fairer, and more resilient NBFC ecosystem. Wealth creation should not just be for personal or institutional gain but to support the community, reflecting a sense of shared responsibility amongst all of us, in our pursuit to achieve an inclusive growth for all and realise the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

    27. With this I wish you all fruitful and enriching deliberations over the course of this conference and look forward to the ideas and insights that will emerge in pursuit of our shared vision. Thank you for this opportunity and wish you all good luck, Jai Hind!

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Mining Sector – Greens deliberately misunderstand coal – Straterra

    Source: Straterra Inc

    It is disappointing to see the Green Party continuing to demonise coal and deliberately misunderstanding its role in ensuring the lights stay on, there is food on the table, and steel to build with, says Straterra chief executive Josie Vidal.
    “The Crown Minerals (Prohibition on Coal Mining) Amendment Bill of Green MP Hon Julie Anne Genter, which has been drawn from the members’ bill ballot, is nonsense,” Vidal says. “Very few member’s bills make it into law.
    “New Zealand is reliant on coal for the foreseeable future and we can mine it in a sustainable way, taking into account very many environmental considerations, as we do in New Zealand.
    “Renewable energy relies on the sun shining, the wind blowing and the rain falling. When that doesn’t happen, coal is there as a backup to ensure the lights stay on and businesses can keep running.
    “There is a risk to energy security without coal and this was realised in winter last year. Due to supply constraints, extremely high electricity prices saw manufacturing plants close, both temporarily and permanently, and put pressure on ordinary New Zealanders who are already struggling with the cost of living. We have been assured this won’t happen again and energy companies have been stockpiling coal for this winter.
    “Domestically, coal is used in steel making; cement and lime manufacture; food processing including milk powder and other dairy products; heating commercial hothouses; processing timber, wool and leather; and heating commercial and public facilities including schools, universities and hospitals. If coal producers are forced to close down before users have access to affordable, accessible, and reliable alternatives, then the economy is put at risk.
    “An estimated 2.5 million tonnes of coal are mined annually in New Zealand for both domestic use and for export, all from open cast mines. We export primarily to Japan, South Korea, China, and India, but also Canada, Saudi Arabia and Australia, and export markets are strong.
    “New Zealand coal has highly sought-after properties, such as low sulphur and ash content, and superior swelling properties for use in blast furnaces. This coal is exported to steel makers in Japan, India, Korea, and Australia. At this stage, coal remains essential to steel production. That is why it has been declared a critical mineral.
    “The reality is the world still needs coal and is still using coal. It is up to the market to determine how long coal is used for,” Vidal says.
    Straterra is the industry association representing New Zealand’s minerals and mining sector. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murray, Rosen Lead Colleagues in Demanding Trump Administration Reverse Course on Tariffs, Provide Relief for Small Businesses

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Tariffs that Will Hurt WA State Businesses, Agriculture & Economy, Raise Costs on Everyone

    ICYMI: Senator Murray, Commerce Director Nguyễn, WA Businesses and Agriculture Respond to Trump Tariffs Raising Costs on Americans, Tanking Economy

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and 11 of their Senate colleagues in a letter demanding that Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and President Donald Trump immediately reverse course on the sweeping tariffs that are devastating small businesses in Washington state and across the nation. In the letter, the senators emphasized how these new taxes on imported goods are raising prices for hardworking Americans and creating additional challenges for small businesses at a time when high costs are already making it difficult for them to operate. 

    In addition to Senators Murray and Rosen, this letter was signed by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA).

    “At a time when our nation is experiencing an unprecedented affordability crisis, President Trump’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs on goods from virtually every country in the world will send a chill through small businesses across the country,” wrote the senators. “Given this, we urge you to work with the President to immediately reverse course on these broad-based tariffs to end the needless suffering this administration has imposed on small businesses across the country.”

    “With small businesses already being crushed under the weight of high costs and interest rates, we must do all we can to cut red tape and help them thrive – not create additional affordability challenges and uncertainty,” they continued. “To that end, we respectfully ask that you work with the President to reverse course on the 10 percent tariffs on all countries, as well as the exorbitantly high reciprocal tariffs placed on others. Failure to do so will raise costs, rob our small businesses of the certainty they rely on and undermine the economic security of small businesses across the country.”

    The full letter can be found HERE.

    Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs tied to international commerce and approximately $60 billion in annual exports. Washington is the top U.S. producer of apples, blueberries, hops, pears, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries—all of which risk losing vital export markets due to retaliatory tariffs from key trading partners including Canada. Additionally, more than 12,000 small and medium-sized companies in Washington state export goods and will struggle to absorb the impact of retaliatory tariffs. Trump’s tariffs during his first term were extremely costly for Washington state—as one example, India imposed a 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. apples, causing Washington apple shipments to India to fall by 99 percent and growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in exports.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Capito Asks Superfund Experts About Extended Cost and Timeline of Cleanups, Examples from State and Community Efforts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    To watch Chairman Capito’s questions, click here or the image above.

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led ahearing on identifying improvements to the future management of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Superfund program. 

    In her questioning, Chairman Capito asked about particular factors that contribute to delays and increase costs of Superfund cleanups, and what actions can be taken from state and volunteer efforts to provide certainty for impacted communities. Additionally, Chairman Capito highlighted the bipartisan agreement to make meaningful improvements to the Superfund program.

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    CAUSE FOR HOLD UP: 

    CHAIRMAN CAPITO: 

    “Let me just kind of dig deeper on this remediation plan and hold up, Mr. Fox, that you’ve talked about. Is it a matter of the best strategy to cleanup a particular site? Is it arguing over the best way to do it? We’ve heard it’s not really arguing over who is going to pay for it, or is that the hold up? Or is it the science has not been done? I don’t know, point to one, or two, or three things in this process that we could change that would make this go faster.”

    ROBERT FOX:

    “There are very known ways to evaluate what the risk is at the site, and how to clean them up. Some sites are more complicated than others, but those general principles that I mentioned, about knowing who’s exposed, knowing what they’re exposed to, and eliminating those pathways – I don’t want to use the wrong term – but it’s not rocket science. We’ve been doing this for a long time. What happens is, the process is so cumbersome, the reports, the back and forth on scientific stuff. It’s not a science project where you have to study every molecule. You can get there much faster, get a remedy selected.”

    ADDITIONAL COSTS COMPARED TO STATE EFFORTS:

    CHAIRMAN CAPITO:

    “I’m assuming that you’ve done cleanups for Superfund sites, and cleanups for private or state level cleanups. So, I want to contrast those. When you when you do a cleanup, say, for a state, or maybe for a private entity, and you don’t have this cumbersome process, would you agree with Mr. Fox at some of the things that are thrown into the Superfund process – how does that work in a different, when you’re doing it for the state or for a private entity?”

    STEVEN RADEL:

    “In 2022 in Indiana, the Superfund site, if we had done that cleanup under the voluntary program of Indiana, versus how we did it under the Superfund program,

    just my consulting costs alone, and to some extent, my legal costs, probably two times more doing it on the Superfund site than if we were in that same work under a voluntary program.”

    CONCERN IN COMMUNITIES:

    CHAIRMAN CAPITO:

    “From the folks that live in and around Superfund sites, they have great economic development promise, in my view, because they are clean, it’s much easier for a developer, in some cases, to come in, because the work’s already been done. What do you see when you go into different communities, about the restlessness of, why is it taking so long, not adding the economics onto the health issues that are sometimes associated with this site. I think what we’re doing, is we’re stymieing communities from being able to have confidence that they can redevelop, or be living in a healthy community.”

    ROBERT FOX:

    “I agree with you 100%, I see it over and over again. Communities are frustrated because the potential exists for a win, win, win. Redevelopment of the site, protective of their human health and the environment, and the longer it goes on, they become distrustful. They become distrustful of EPA, they become distrustful of the private parties that are doing the work, and it feeds upon itself. Speeding up the process will get this back to productive use, and eliminate the exposure of these communities, and they will eliminate that distrust.”

    BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT:

    “I would like to say just in closing, that I think, first of all, this has been an excellent hearing because you’re all so knowledgeable on the issue, having lived it. But I think we have good, bipartisan agreement here that the system is broken. We’ve put more money in this, recently, and we want to see it result in the completion of these projects as much as you do. So, let’s work together to try and find a solution. Hopefully we can ameliorate some of the problems that have been identified today.”

    Click HERE to watch Chairman Capito’s questions.

    Click HERE to watch Chairman Capito’s opening statement.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto Joins Press Conference Highlighting Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Invest in Local Law Enforcement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    FTPs for TV stations is available here.

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) spoke at a press conference to highlight the urgent need to pass her bipartisan Invest to Protect Act. She was joined by Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.-05) and John Rutherford (R-Fla.-05) who introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives, as well as by local law enforcement officers.

    “Local police departments are the backbone of public safety for communities across the Silver State, but in conversations with law enforcement officers, I have heard over and over again that they need more resources,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This bipartisan, bicameral legislation gives small departments across the country a boost in funding for training, recruitment, and mental health support. It’s commonsense, and it’s time to get it done.”

    “The bipartisan Invest to Protect Act will make critical investments in our departments and ensure that our police officers in smaller towns across New Jersey, and our nation, have the resources and training they need to keep themselves and communities safe,” said Congressman Gottheimer. “If you want to make something better, you don’t get there by cutting or defunding. You need to make smart, targeted investments. You must invest, not defund. You can have both justice and public safety. You don’t have to pick between one or the other. This bipartisan legislation will help ensure we have both and protect our communities and officers.”

    “Small police forces are often the most resource constrained agencies and suffer the most from a lack of operational equipment and services,” said Congressman Rutherford. “As a former sheriff and career law enforcement officer, I am proud to join Congressman Gottheimer to reintroduce the Invest to Protect Act in the House to make trainings, retention tools, and mental health care resources more readily available for departments with fewer than 175 officers. It’s important we streamline the grant process for smaller law enforcement agencies to provide them with the resources they need to protect our communities nationwide.”

    The majority of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. are smaller than 175 full-time sworn officers, including all of Nevada’s rural sheriff’s departments and key suburban departments such as the Sparks Police Department. In Nevada and nationwide, these small departments often struggle to access critical resources. Cortez Masto’s bipartisan Invest to Protect Act would establish a grant program through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to provide $250 million specifically to help these small law enforcement agencies make meaningful investments in their officers and communities. This bill is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Police Organizations.

    As the former top law enforcement official in Nevada, Senator Cortez Masto has been a leading advocate in the Senate for our police officers and is part of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus. She has secured historic funding for the Byrne JAG grant program, the leading source of criminal justice funding in the country. Her bipartisan bills to combat the crisis of law enforcement suicide and provide mental health resources to police officers have been signed into law by presidents of both parties. Her BADGES for Native Communities Act, to support the Bureau of Indian Affairs with law enforcement recruitment and retention, passed the Senate last Congress.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: [Video] Smarter Living at a Touch: Five Ways Samsung’s Screen-Based Appliances Make Daily Life Easier

    Source: Samsung

    At the heart of Samsung Electronics’ user-friendly and safe AI Home lies one game-changing feature — the screen.
     
    In a 2024 survey1 conducted by Samsung with 1,443 participants across five countries, the most preferred AI appliance experience was “easier and more natural voice control” (32%) followed by “integrated touchscreens on appliances” (30%).
     

     
    Samsung first introduced a 21.5-inch screen on its Family Hub refrigerator in 2016. Since then, the company has incorporated a variety of screen sizes — including 4.3-inch, 7-inch and 32-inch displays — across its home appliance lineup. Samsung further broadened the scope this year to include both combined and standalone washers and dryers, as well as induction cooktops. Notably, a 9-inch screen has been added to the refrigerator lineup for the first time — offering consumers even more choice.
     
    How have screen-equipped appliances changed users’ daily lives? Samsung Newsroom highlights five ways Samsung’s Bespoke AI screen-equipped appliances help users get more out of their homes.
     
     
    1. Personalized Information at a Glance With Daily Board

     
    The dashboard-style Daily Board2 allows users to easily view personalized information right from the kitchen. Introduced for the first time this year, the feature is available on various screen-equipped refrigerators including Samsung’s new refrigerator with 9-inch AI Home screen.
     
    As users head to the kitchen for a glass of water in the morning, they can check the weather, view their schedule and even get recipe suggestions using ingredients stored inside the fridge — all from the screen. For a personal touch, they can also leave notes for family members.
     
    The upgraded AI voice assistant Bixby3 recognizes individual voices and offers tailored support from displaying schedules to helping users find their smartphones.4

     
     
    2. From Recipe to Oven: Orchestrating Meals With Ease

     
    Samsung’s screens go beyond controlling individual home appliances — they enhance the entire home experience through seamless device connectivity.
     
    AI Vision Inside5 now recognizes up to 37 types of fresh ingredients stored in the refrigerator and automatically creates a food list on the screen. The newly introduced AI Food Manager can also recommend up to 50 frequently used processed or packaged items based on usage patterns.6 From the screen, users can receive personalized recipe suggestions tailored to available ingredients. These recipes can then be sent to connected cooking appliances — such as ovens and induction cooktops — via SmartThings, making meal preparation smooth and convenient.

     
     
    3. Control the Entire Smart Home From One Screen

     
    With the Map View feature, users can monitor and control all their connected home appliances from a single screen.7 Everything can be managed remotely, from adjusting modes and changing temperatures to managing other key settings. Whether in the kitchen or living room, users can answer phone calls, monitor visitors or unlock doors — all through the screen.
     
    Notably, this year’s new models8 feature upgraded screens that go beyond basic control — now, they serve as smart home hubs capable of connecting to and managing a wide range of devices. In addition to Wi-Fi, the appliances support Zigbee, Matter and Thread for more compatibility with various smart home and Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems.9

     

    4. Just a Simple Tap To Enjoy Home Entertainment

     
    Samsung’s AI appliances make it easy to enjoy entertainment — either by mirroring content from a smartphone or directly accessing the internet or apps like YouTube and Spotify from the screen. For example, users can cook while watching a mirrored video on the refrigerator screen or use the washing machine’s screen to search YouTube for laundry tips and set the appropriate wash mode.
     
     
    5. Energy Use Monitoring and Smart Maintenance Tips

     
    One of the biggest advantages of Samsung’s large screens is their ability to intuitively visualize and manage energy consumption and maintenance tasks.
     
    With SmartThings Energy, users can track energy use and reduce consumption through AI Energy Mode. They can also access the Optimal Scheduling feature10 that suggests ideal times to run appliances based on periods of high carbon emissions. After each wash or dry cycle, the screen displays a graph that breaks down the time spent and energy used.
     
    To extend the appliance’s lifespan and ensure safety, the screen regularly checks device status and notifies users when filters need changing or cleaning. Bixby can even visually and audibly provide maintenance instructions on the screen when users ask.11
     
    Under its “Screens Everywhere” vision, Samsung continues to expand its lineup of screen-equipped appliances — designed to understand and support users’ daily lives. To explore how the 2025 Bespoke AI lineup delivers a differentiated, AI-enhanced experience through screen innovation, watch the video below.
     

    * Product images shown in the video may vary by region and differ from actual usage.
     
     
    1 Online survey allowing multiple responses, conducted from August 30 to September 9, 2024. Participants included men and women aged 20 to 59 from South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Vietnam — all within the top 50% household income bracket and identified as key decision-makers or users in home appliance purchases. Of the 2,283 respondents, 1,443 expressed purchase intent for the accessibility concept — AI appliances that can be easily and conveniently controlled from anywhere in the home.2 The 2025 Bespoke AI refrigerator with 9-inch AI Home screen, the 32-inch Family Hub and select 2024 refrigerator models are scheduled to receive this update via Smart Forward in phases. Smart Forward updates are available for software only, and for models released after 2017 that are equipped with standardized OCF protocol. Adequate hardware specifications may be required for certain updates. Available on Android and iOS devices. A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required.3 Bixby availability may vary depending on the country. Bixby only recognizes certain accents and dialects of English (U.K.), English (U.S.), English (India), French (France), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Korean (South Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China), Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain) and Portuguese (Brazil). Voice ID will be available starting May of 2025 through Smart Forward update. Launch date may differ according to region and country. To activate Bixby, a Samsung Account is required. Up to six accounts can be registered per device. To increase the accuracy of identifying each voice, it is recommended for you to register your voice in quiet surroundings. Voice ID is done based on the tone of voice used during registration process. Any change or modification to your voice may lead to misidentification.4 This update is planned for release in the first half of 2025 via Smart Forward. Once Bixby recognizes a user’s voice, it switches to the Samsung account linked with the Family Hub and provides personalized information such as schedules (compatible with Google and Microsoft Calendar apps), phone location, photos and more. This Bixby voice recognition feature is supported on screen-equipped appliances running Tizen OS but not on washer and dryer models with 4.3-inch screen running Tizen Lite OS.5 Available on select T-Type and French Door refrigerator models. As of April 2025, AI Vision Inside can recognize 37 food items like fresh fruits and veggies. If the food is not recognizable, it may be listed as an unknown item. AI Vision Inside cannot identify or list any food items in the fridge door bins or freezer. It recognizes food items based on deep learning models, which may be updated periodically to improve accuracy.6 AI Vision Inside will recognize and recommend that users save processed food items that have been placed inside multiple times, allowing up to 50 items to be saved with the designated name. Processed foods are limited to those that keep a certain packaged form. AI Home recommends saving the item after it has been input more than 4 times during 30 days.7 A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required. Third-party devices must be SmartThings compatible.8 Availability of the hub function in Samsung’s screen-equipped appliances may vary by model and region. It is applied to products such as the 32-inch and 9-inch screen refrigerators, as well as the 7-inch screen washers and dryers (excluding standalone models). A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung account are required. All products must be connected to SmartThings. Only 3rd party devices that are compatible with SmartThings can be registered.9 Update times vary by product and each protocol.10 Features and availability of services may vary by region.11 Bixby can answer troubleshooting- and usage-related questions based on the appliance’s user manual.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Leads Senators Demanding Answers from Trump Admin on Cuts to Partnership that Boosts American Manufacturing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) are demanding answers from the Trump Administration on its decision to take away funding that has long helped boost domestic manufacturing and created thousands of jobs. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program is a public-private partnership that helps small and medium-sized manufacturers grow, make operational improvements, and create jobs. The administration announced that it would be cutting off future funding for 10 MEP Centers across the country, with others, including Wisconsin, waiting in the lurch. In Wisconsin, the MEP has helped create more than $2.5 billion in economic impact and created or retained nearly 4,000 jobs in just the past two years.

    “Small manufacturers rely on MEP Centers for essential support in adopting the latest advanced technologies, updating their cybersecurity, navigating supply chain challenges, and accessing workforce training—resources that are often out of reach for small businesses without this dedicated assistance,” wrote Baldwin and the Senators in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “These centers drive innovation, boost productivity, and create high-quality jobs, strengthening both local economies and America’s global competitiveness.”

    The Senators continued, “Eliminating federal support for MEP Centers would hamper American small and medium-sized manufacturers. We urge you to take immediate action to protect the MEP program and the manufacturers that rely on it.”

    A report by Summit Consulting and the Upjohn Institute found that the MEP program generated a substantial economic and financial return ratio of more than 17:1 for the $175 million funding invested by the federal government in FY2023. The study also determined that MEP Center projects contributed to an overall increase of nearly 309,000 jobs nationwide.

    Centers in Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming will be immediately affected. The national network of 51 MEPs, including the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership, has helped boost the productivity and competitiveness of thousands of small American manufacturers across the country for decades.

    Since 1988, the MEP has worked to strengthen and empower U.S. manufacturing through a nationwide network of MEP Centers. The MEP National Network is comprised of 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and over 1,450 trusted advisors and experts at more than 430 MEP service locations that provide any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed.

    Senator Baldwin has long championed investing in the manufacturing sector. In addition to helping pass the CHIPS and Science Act, Senator Baldwin worked to secure significant investments to support the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Baldwin is Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee charged with oversight of MEP at the Department of Commerce.

    This letter was co-signed by 13 other Senate colleagues.

    A full version of this letter is available here and below.

    Dear Secretary Lutnick,

    We write to express our deep concern regarding the Department of Commerce’s recent decision to cancel future funding for ten National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers in Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming. This decision has raised widespread concern across the entire national network of MEP Centers, prompting fears about whether these initial cancellations are the first step in a broader effort to dismantle the program and eliminate federal funding for all 51 centers, with centers in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin expected to be notified about their status shortly. Given the MEP program’s long-standing, bipartisan support in strengthening small and medium-sized American manufacturers, we share these concerns and urge you to provide clarity and certainty on your plans for the future of the MEP program.

    According to the National Association of Manufacturers, 93% of manufacturers have fewer than 100 employees, while 75% have fewer than 20 employees. Small manufacturers rely on MEP Centers for essential support in adopting the latest advanced technologies, updating their cybersecurity, navigating supply chain challenges, and accessing workforce training—resources that are often out of reach for small businesses without this dedicated assistance. These centers drive innovation, boost productivity, and create high-quality jobs, strengthening both local economies and America’s global competitiveness. Without this critical federal support, MEP Centers—especially those with the fewest resources, and those serving rural and underserved communities—will be at the greatest risk of closure.

    Dismantling this program would not only disrupt benefits for small businesses but also undermine decades of federal investment in domestic manufacturing resilience, which Congress prioritized in the MEP program in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Congress also reauthorized the MEP program in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. NIST was provided $175 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 to fund the MEP Centers. In FY2024 alone, the MEP National Network resulted in $2.6 billion in cost savings, $15 billion in new and retained sales, $5 billion in new client investments, and over 108,000 jobs created or retained. Additionally, a report by Summit Consulting and the Upjohn Institute found that the MEP program generated a substantial economic and financial return ratio of more than 17:1 for the $175 million funding invested by the federal government in FY2023. The study also determined that MEP Center projects contributed to an overall increase of nearly 309,000 jobs across the United States.

    Given these benefits and the funding in the FY 2025 Continuing Resolution, we request a full explanation of the rationale behind this funding decision and ask that you promptly reconsider. Additionally, we urge the Department of Commerce to provide Congress with an impact assessment detailing how this decision will affect manufacturers in the affected states and regions. This action has caused tremendous uncertainty for all MEP Centers and the thousands of American manufacturing companies and their workers.  Therefore, to better understand your plans for renewals across other states in the future, we request a briefing on the way ahead for the overall MEP program prior to making any final non-renewal decisions by April 30, 2025. 

    Eliminating federal support for MEP Centers would hamper American small and medium-sized manufacturers. We urge you to take immediate action to protect the MEP program and the manufacturers that rely on it. We look forward to your response no later than April 30, 2025, and are ready to work with you to find solutions that maintain and enhance the MEP program’s ability to serve America’s manufacturing sector.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Duckworth, Durbin Join Colleagues in Demanding HHS Restore Title X Family Planning Funding Immediately to Protect Health Care Services for Millions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
    April 09, 2025
    [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and other Senate Democratic colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immediately reinstate Title X family planning funding in 23 states after the agency began withholding grants that support basic health care for approximately one million people.
    “We are alarmed at the Trump administration’s attacks against providers that enable access to health care for low-income and uninsured people,” the Senators wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We urge you to swiftly reinstate funding to avoid extended gaps in service for vulnerable communities who rely on Title X funded health centers and programs.”
    Title X is the nation’s only dedicated source of federal funding for family planning. In 2023, the program supported health care services for 2.8 million people at nearly 4,000 clinics across all 50 states and U.S. territories. These clinics provide cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infections testing and treatment, contraception and pregnancy-related care—regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. On April 1, the Trump Administration began withholding all, most, or a substantial portion of Title X funds across 23 states, including Illinois. The move threatens 23 percent of the entire Title X network.
    “These interruptions will be widely felt in our communities and exacerbate the country’s maternal health crisis,” the Senators wrote. “By withholding critical appropriated funds, you are impeding access to essential health care services in rural and underserved areas, risking providers closing their doors, and jeopardizing working families’ lives and livelihoods.”
    The Senators demanded the administration reverse course before more irreparable harm is done.
    California, Hawai‘i, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and Utah are currently receiving no family planning dollars. Meanwhile, Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia are experiencing reduced access to Title X-funded services.
    Along with Duckworth, Durbin, Schatz, Smith, Schiff and Hirono, the letter was also co-signed by U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).
    Full text of the letter is available on Senator Duckworth’s website and below:
    Dear Secretary Kennedy:
    We write with great concern regarding the withholding of Title X family planning funding, impacting approximately one million patients in 23 states. We are alarmed at the Trump administration’s attacks against providers that enable access to health care for low-income and uninsured people. We urge you to swiftly reinstate funding to avoid extended gaps in service for vulnerable communities who rely on Title X funded health centers and programs.
    For the past 55 years, Title X has served as the nation’s only dedicated, federally-funded family planning program. It provides lifelines to essential health care, including cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, contraceptive services and supplies, pregnancy testing, and more. Importantly, Title X providers offer care to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. In fact, 60 percent of patients seeking care at Title X funded health centers have incomes below 101 percent of the federal poverty level and receive care at no cost. Altogether, in 2023, Title X supported health care services for 2.8 million patients at 3,853 health centers across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Freezing Title X funds puts millions at risk of losing basic health services and screenings.  A 2024 report from the HHS Office of Population Affairs determined that there “remains a significant need for publicly funded programs to provide free or subsidized sexual and reproductive health [SRH] services.”
    Despite its vast impact, on April 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began withholding all, most, or a substantial portion of Title X funding in 23 states, and all other grantees received partial awards. These states span from coast to coast and the non-contiguous states, covering nearly a quarter of the nation’s Title X network. You have entirely cut access to Title X family planning services for California, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and Utah; and your agency is making significant cuts to Title-X funded services in Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. All other grantees have received partial funding which significantly constrains planned staffing and service delivery this performance year.
    The notifications were premised on specious arguments and contain unreasonable deadlines given the hundreds of health centers that must be surveyed in order to respond to this politically motivated inquiry. Though the administration has explicitly targeted specific providers like Planned Parenthood affiliates, it also included a varied group of nonprofit state and regional grantees.
    These interruptions will be widely felt in our communities and exacerbate the country’s maternal health crisis, particularly in the context of health center closures and restrictive state policies that impact access to reproductive care. By withholding critical appropriated funds, you are impeding access to essential health care services in rural and underserved areas, risking providers closing their doors, and jeopardizing working families’ lives and livelihoods. We request that you expeditiously release funding to Title X grantees in the 23 impacted states before you cause irreparable harm.
    Sincerely,
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz, Senators Demand HHS Restore Title X Family Planning Funding Immediately To Protect Health Care Services For Millions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), along with U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), led a group of 29 senators urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immediately reinstate Title X family planning funding in 23 states, including Hawai‘i, after the agency began withholding grants that support basic health care for approximately one million people.

    “We are alarmed at the Trump administration’s attacks against providers that enable access to health care for low-income and uninsured people,” the senators wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We urge you to swiftly reinstate funding to avoid extended gaps in service for vulnerable communities who rely on Title X funded health centers and programs.”

    Title X is the nation’s only dedicated source of federal funding for family planning. In 2023, the program supported health care services for 2.8 million people at nearly 4,000 clinics across all 50 states and U.S. territories. These clinics provide cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infections testing and treatment, contraception, and pregnancy-related care—regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.

    On April 1, the Trump administration began withholding all, most, or a substantial portion of Title X funds across 23 states, including all funds to Hawai‘i. The move threatens 23 percent of the entire Title X network.

    “These interruptions will be widely felt in our communities and exacerbate the country’s maternal health crisis,” the senators wrote. “By withholding critical appropriated funds, you are impeding access to essential health care services in rural and underserved areas, risking providers closing their doors, and jeopardizing working families’ lives and livelihoods.”

    California, Hawai‘i, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and Utah are currently receiving no family planning dollars; while Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia are experiencing reduced access to Title X-funded services.

    In protest of this lawless Trump administration policy and many more like it, Schatz has placed a hold on the confirmation of more than 300 Trump nominees, including the nominee for HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, Brian Christine, who would oversee Title X.

    In addition to Schatz, Smith, Schiff, and Hirono the letter was also signed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.).

    The full text of the letter can be found below and is available here.

    Dear Secretary Kennedy:

    We write with great concern regarding the withholding of Title X family planning funding, impacting approximately one million patients in 23 states. We are alarmed at the Trump administration’s attacks against providers that enable access to health care for low-income and uninsured people. We urge you to swiftly reinstate funding to avoid extended gaps in service for vulnerable communities who rely on Title X funded health centers and programs.

    For the past 55 years, Title X has served as the nation’s only dedicated, federally-funded family planning program. It provides lifelines to essential health care, including cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, contraceptive services and supplies, pregnancy testing, and more. Importantly, Title X providers offer care to all people, regardless of their ability to pay. In fact, 60 percent of patients seeking care at Title X funded health centers have incomes below 101 percent of the federal poverty level and receive care at no cost. Altogether, in 2023, Title X supported health care services for 2.8 million patients at 3,853 health centers across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Freezing Title X funds puts millions at risk of losing basic health services and screenings.  A 2024 report from the HHS Office of Population Affairs determined that there “remains a significant need for publicly funded programs to provide free or subsidized sexual and reproductive health [SRH] services.”

    Despite its vast impact, on April 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began withholding all, most, or a substantial portion of Title X funding in 23 states, and all other grantees received partial awards. These states span from coast to coast and the non-contiguous states, covering nearly a quarter of the nation’s Title X network. You have entirely cut access to Title X family planning services for California, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and Utah; and your agency is making significant cuts to Title-X funded services in Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. All other grantees have received partial funding which significantly constrains planned staffing and service delivery this performance year.

    The notifications were premised on specious arguments and contain unreasonable deadlines given the hundreds of health centers that must be surveyed in order to respond to this politically motivated inquiry. Though the administration has explicitly targeted specific providers like Planned Parenthood affiliates, it also included a varied group of nonprofit state and regional grantees.

    These interruptions will be widely felt in our communities and exacerbate the country’s maternal health crisis, particularly in the context of health center closures and restrictive state policies that impact access to reproductive care. By withholding critical appropriated funds, you are impeding access to essential health care services in rural and underserved areas, risking providers closing their doors, and jeopardizing working families’ lives and livelihoods. We request that you expeditiously release funding to Title X grantees in the 23 impacted states before you cause irreparable harm.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech on foreign affairs and trade

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Kia ora and good morning everyone.
    Before I start, can I acknowledge the Wellington Chamber of Commerce for the opportunity to speak to all of you this morning.
    It comes at a difficult time for the global economy, with rising rhetoric, escalating tariffs, and the prospect of further retaliation to come.
    I had originally planned to take this opportunity to speak about my Government’s plan for economic growth – to create jobs, lift incomes, and put more money back in the wallets of Kiwis.
    I will still touch on that.
    It’s my Government’s top priority and it frames just about every decision we take here in Wellington as we focus on improving the lives of all New Zealanders.
    But with markets rocked and exporters facing uncertainty, I know there’s one topic front of mind for many businesses and many households.
    So this morning I want to take some time to speak to those events and make the case for free trade and the rules-based international order.
    Trade is the lifeblood of the New Zealand economy.
    Whether it’s our incredible farmers and growers, our outstanding tourism industry, or our burgeoning tech sector, Kiwis businesses thrive when we compete on the world stage.
    Our success isn’t an accident – and it didn’t happen overnight.
    Successive generations of trade negotiators and political leaders have invested in relationships offshore, and worked hard to complete deals like CER, the China FTA, the CPTPP, and the more recent EU, UK, UAE and GCC FTAs.
    Business leaders have moved rapidly, too – finding fresh opportunities for growth in emerging markets, and developing outstanding products back home that put New Zealand on the map.
    Our rural economy in particular represents the very best of open and competitive trade – selling into difficult markets, with no direct financial support, and consistently coming out on top.
    I could – and often do – speak at length about the contribution exporters make to the domestic economy.
    But trade goes both ways.
    Yes, export growth will be critical to improving New Zealand’s economic prospects in the coming years.
    But the removal of New Zealand’s own trade barriers and embrace of goods and services imported from offshore has also led to a major improvement in our quality of life in recent years.
    Our clothing is more affordable, our cars are more reliable, our diets are more diverse, and our holidays in Bali and Europe are a nice contrast to summers at the lake or the beach.
    Free trade of goods purchased from offshore has also supported growth in productivity.
    Kiwi exporters rely on the trucks, tractors, jet engines, computers, and smart phones we buy from overseas that make their businesses tick.
    And it’s not realistic to expect that in a country of just five million people, we could make everything we need here at home.
    Political leaders have tried that before in New Zealand – and it didn’t end well.
    Older generations will remember the efforts we went to.
    Governments imposed strict import controls and encouraged cars and televisions to be assembled here at home.
    And like today, conflict offshore occasionally helped to send prices spiralling – but the response looked very different.
    In the late 1970s, politicians imposed “carless days”, with stickers on your vehicle dictating which days you could drive to work, and which days you caught a ride with a friend or just walked into town instead.
    There was no “work from home” in 1979.
    Agriculture, today the backbone of our economy, was heavily subsidised and much less productive, much less diverse than the efficient and entrepreneurial sector thriving in New Zealand today.
    Those failed policies weren’t just foolish economics.
    They reflected the best efforts of political leaders to insulate New Zealand from an era of major social and geopolitical change.
    History shows those best efforts were a mistake, that required years of difficult choices and careful recovery.
    New Zealanders paid the price then.
    I don’t intend for them to do so again.
    Which brings us to today.
    The events of recent days are the most significant challenge to the rules-based trading system since the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was formed in 1947.
    Action, reaction, and response have shocked financial markets.
    As the Minister of Finance highlighted earlier this week, the direct impact on the New Zealand economy from the US tariffs announced last week is likely to be around $900 million or roughly 0.2% of GDP.
    But the second order consequences of a region and a world retreating from trade and increasingly uncertain about its economic future will be more significant, despite the welcome news of de-escalation this morning.
    I know for many businesses keeping an eye offshore and for those New Zealanders watching their KiwiSaver accounts, that could be confronting.
    The exporters I’ve spoken to in recent days remain buoyant, rightly confident in the quality of their product, and their ability to navigate choppy waters.
    But for countries whose prosperity is underpinned by global trade, the months ahead will be challenging for their economic interests.
    Many commentators will see these events as just the next step in a longer-term trend towards economic security and national resilience, as countries insure themselves against emerging geopolitical threats.
    Others have gone further, declaring an end to the era of free markets, free trade, and free people, and the rules-based international order underpinning it.
    For my part, I’m not ready to throw in the towel quite yet. Kiwis have worked too hard and for too long, to give up on the values and institutions which have seen our country and the region we live in thrive.
    So, for as long as I am Prime Minister, New Zealand will keep making the case for trade as a cornerstone of our prosperity.
    Yes, we are a small country – but stature has never been a barrier to our success.
    Take the P3 – a proposed trade agreement which began life under negotiation at APEC between New Zealand, Singapore, and Chile in the early 2000s.
    Three small countries, practicing what we preach – and doing everything we could to create opportunity for our people through trade.
    Today, that agreement lives on as the CPTPP and covers a dozen countries, including New Zealand and Australia, Canada, much of Asia, and most recently the United Kingdom.
    In total, that’s roughly 15% of global economic activity, or $13 trillion USD – a long way from where we started just over twenty years ago.
    The United Kingdom might be the most recent accession, but I expect they won’t be the last.
    New Zealand will continue to work with like-minded countries to promote free trade as a path to prosperity and explore the role of the CPTPP in strengthening that vision.
    One possibility is that members of the CPTPP and the European Union work together to champion rules-based trade and make specific commitments on how that support plays out in practice.
    My vision is that includes action to prevent restrictions on exports and efforts to ensure any retaliation is consistent with existing rules.
    Collective action, and a collective commitment, by a large portion of the global economy would be a significant step towards preserving free trade flows and protecting supply chains.
    Clearly though, efforts at collective action won’t be enough to support New Zealand’s economic interests.
    As Prime Minister, I have a responsibility to do everything I can to both bolster the existing rules-based order and to further strengthen New Zealand’s position offshore.
    It’s why I have put so much emphasis on deepening our relationships with partners around the region, with visits throughout South-East Asia, Korea and Japan, the United States, and to India last month as we commenced negotiations for a free trade agreement.
    It’s why my Government has worked so hard to close out fresh agreements with the UAE and GCC that enable additional trade and investment.
    It’s why we hosted an Investment Summit in Auckland, making the case both for New Zealand as an outstanding place to do business and for the opportunity to enter long-term infrastructure partnerships.
    It’s why on Monday this week the Minister of Defence and I launched the Government’s Defence Capability Plan, that lifts defence expenditure to 2% of GDP and ensures New Zealand pulls its weight for many years to come.
    It’s why I will be on the phone later today to world leaders comparing notes on world trade, and testing what we can do together to buttress the rules-based trading system.
    And it’s why I will be heading to the United Kingdom later this month to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, to talk trade, security, and the geopolitical backdrop in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
    We can’t make the case for New Zealand sitting at home.
    We have to position ourselves as advocates both for our own economic interests and the institutions that underpin them.
    I’m very lucky to lead a Government with so many Ministers dedicated to that task, whether that’s the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Trade, or the Minister of Defence, each of whom having already made a number of significant achievements supporting New Zealand’s interests offshore.
    Back home, the volatility offshore is a fresh reminder of just how important our focus on economic growth will be in the coming years.
    As I said recently at our Investment Summit in Auckland, New Zealand can be a shelter from the global storm.
    That brings a serious opportunity from ensuring our business environment is as welcoming as possible for investment and growth.
    We are making serious inroads into that task.
    Earlier this year, Minister for Economic Growth Nicola Willis published our Government’s Going for Growth Agenda, which outlines a range of actions we are taking to get the New Zealand economy moving and realising its vast potential.
    Each of those actions fits into one of five pillars we have identified as critical to lifting economic growth and improving New Zealanders’ standard of living:

    Developing talent,
    Encouraging innovation, science, and technology,
    Introducing competitive business settings,
    Promoting global trade and investment,
    And delivering infrastructure for growth.

    Across each of those pillars, we have Ministers working day and night to drive through reform – in transport, tourism, aquaculture, construction, advanced aviation, mining, energy, agriculture, and horticulture.
    In just the last few weeks, we have presented our plans to replace the Resource Management Act, fix our broken health and safety laws, and make nation-shaping investments like the Northland Expressway.
    We have introduced the Fast Track regime, streamlining the consenting process for projects of regional and national significance.
    We are re-writing the Overseas Investment Act, so major investments from offshore are consented faster and more reliably.
    We are tearing down the barriers to fresh investment in renewable and non-renewable energy, by repealing the oil and gas ban and ushering in new consenting rules for wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal.
    And we are doubling down on efforts to showcase New Zealand to the world, promoting our tourism and international education sectors offshore so we can attract even more people to spend their money here.
    I know there’s more we can do.
    Growth has now returned, and the economy has turned the corner, but our reform agenda will need to continue at pace for us to out-run the challenges to growth facing us from offshore.
    The challenges to the rules-based international order are intense and the strategic environment my government has inherited is more difficult than it has been for many years.
    For New Zealanders who grew up watching events unfold in Europe and the Middle East, it will be confronting to watch strategic competition and the deterioration of rules-based trade come to our neighbourhood, the Indo-Pacific.
    But the response for New Zealand cannot be retreat.
    New Zealanders are at our best when faced with adversity and we thrive when we compete on the world stage.
    To quote my friend the Foreign Minister, this isn’t our first rodeo.
    Our export sector is jam-packed with talented, sharp New Zealanders who make great products – and create jobs here at home while they do it.
    Farmers, growers, wine makers, and start-ups from all around the country investing in our nation’s future because they have confidence that better days lie ahead.
    I’m not ready to call time on the rules-based trading system.
    And I’m not ready for New Zealand to give up on our efforts to advocate for it on the world stage.
    We’re not in this alone.
    The same institutions that have served New Zealand so well for so long, also underpin the prosperity of so many of our friends and partners, many of whom are also continuing to make the case for free and open trade in recent days.
    My government will keep making the case – overseas, here at home, with a strong voice and a consistent message.
    Free trade works.
    It lifts incomes.
    It creates jobs.
    It builds partnerships.
    And it secures peace.
    I think that’s worth fighting for – and I’m up for that fight.
    Thank you.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER SOUNDS ALARM ON ‘DOGE’ PLANS TO SLASH UPSTATE NY’S MANUFACTURERING FEDERAL SUPPORT PROGRAM, CUTTING MILLIONS FOR UPSTATE’S SMALL BIZ & WORKFORCE TRAINING, DEMANDS TRUMP ADMIN REVERSE CUTS AND…

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    NY’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers – Including NextCorps in Rochester, Center For Economic Growth & FuzeHub In Capital Region, Insyte In Western NY, And More – Rely On Fed Investment To Support Small Businesses And Create New Jobs

    Senator Says These Centers Are One Of The Best Tools To Grow Upstate’s Economy – And Is Especially Needed As We Make Major Investments Thanks To His CHIPS & Science Law- And Cutting Support Now Would Be Double Whammy For Businesses Already Reeling From Trump’s Trade War

    Schumer: Cutting Off Support For Upstate NY Businesses Is Not How You Rebuild American Manufacturing

    After the Trump administration canceled funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers across America and those in Upstate NY are fearing they are next, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today sounded the alarm to protect MEP centers that have helped hundreds of small manufacturers grow and create thousands of good-paying jobs in every region of New York. The senator said cutting off federal investment for Upstate NY manufacturing would hinder the growth the region is seeing thanks to his CHIPS & Science Law and threaten the next generation of American manufacturing and jobs across New York. Schumer called on the Trump administration to immediately reverse these cuts and keep MEP investments flowing for Upstate NY.

    “Trump and ‘DOGE’ are threatening to defund a main federal support program for growing Upstate NY manufacturing. We cannot cut off this mainstay program for helping small businesses, attracting new supply chains, and creating new jobs just as we are seeing tremendous manufacturing growth across Upstate NY thanks to my CHIPS & Science Law,” said Senator Schumer. “From Buffalo to Albany, MEP Centers have proven to be one of the best bangs for your buck investments the federal government can make helping create thousands of new good-paying jobs and billions in new investment throughout New York. These centers are how we attract new supply chains, get workers the hands-on training they need, and bring back jobs from overseas. Trump can’t be ushering in the Golden Age of American manufacturing while simultaneously decimating the program that helps American manufacturers thrive. Trump’s haphazard trade war against allies like Canada is already wreaking havoc on New York’s economy and small manufacturers. These Trump cuts to manufacturing centers will only add to that chaos. These cuts are wrong, illegal, and should be immediately reversed.”

    The Manufacturing Extension Program is authorized and appropriated by Congress, and Schumer said cutting these contracts without Congressional approval is most likely illegal. The MEP has a long track record of successfully boosting small American manufacturers in New York and across the country.

    The New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP) is a network of 11 independent nonprofit organizations that help smaller manufacturers grow and create jobs. As a result of the federally-funded NY MEP network, over 32,000 manufacturing jobs in New York have been created or saved between 2019 and 2023. More than 4,400 projects have been completed between NY MEP and manufacturers in every region of the state to help those companies succeed and grow, increasing their sales by $1 billion, helping reduce costs by nearly $40 million, and increasing new investments by nearly $190 million, all in FY2024 alone.

    Schumer explained the rising cost of foreign goods due to Trump’s tariffs is hurting small manufacturers that often already operate on razor-thin margins and ripping away this vital federal MEP assistance is just further insult to injury and threatens the jobs and growth of manufacturers across the state and country. According to WIRED, the U.S. Department of Commerce said they would not pay out nearly $13 million across ten MEP agreements because they were “no longer aligned with the priorities of the department,” and no clarity or certainty has been provided that the contract cuts won’t continue to happen across the country, including in New York, as the deadlines approach for contracts to be renewed.

    A breakdown of contracts in New York State can be found below:

    Recipient 

    Region

    MEP Federal Investment Per Year

    Alliance for Manufacturing and Technology

    Southern Tier

    $380,000

    Center for Economic Growth

    Capital Region

    $380,000

     CITEC

    North Country

    $380,000

    Central New York Technology Development Organization

    Central New York

    $380,000

    Insyte

    Western NY

    $560,000

    NextCorps

    Rochester-Finger Lakes

    $560,000

    Manufacturing & Technology Enterprise Center

    Hudson Valley

    $560,000

    Industrial & Technology Assistance Corporation

    New York City

    $635,000

    Stony Brook

    Long Island

    $635,000

    Mohawk Valley Community College

    Mohawk Valley

    $380,000

    FuzeHub

    Statewide

    $1,135,194

    Empire State Development

    Statewide

    $892,766
       

    $6,877,960

    Every year, the Department spends nearly $200 million annually on MEP nationally. Though states also contribute to MEP programs, it will be difficult for them to compensate for the loss of federal funding. Schumer said cutting these contracts will prevent the United States from establishing manufacturing leadership and could lead to nationwide job losses. In a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Schumer highlighted the importance of MEP in supporting the growth of small manufacturers and demanded certainty that funding for New York’s MEP centers would not be cut.

    “Saying that these critical investments are not aligned with the Department of Commerce’s priorities just doesn’t add up. Trump claims to care a lot about maintaining American manufacturing leadership, but his actions are doing the opposite. The MEP has delivered manufacturing growth in New York and America for years. We need to double down on investment in proven programs like this, not eliminate it,” Schumer added.

    Elena Garuc, Executive Director of FuzeHub, the statewide NY MEP center, said, “The New York MEP serves as an economic engine for communities across our state. Local manufacturers rely on us as a vital resource to become more competitive, adopt new technologies, and create jobs. Occasionally we even step in as a safety net to help manufacturers solve tough challenges and protect their operations. When manufacturing leaders don’t know where to turn, they turn to us. Looking out on the economic horizon, I believe the New York MEP is needed now more than ever.  We’re grateful to Senator Schumer for recognizing the economic impact we deliver and for his determined advocacy for this essential program that strengthens American manufacturing and creates good-paying local jobs.”

    “Small manufacturers are vital to the economy, driving innovation, creating high-quality jobs, and strengthening local and regional supply chains. In New York City, rising operational costs present added challenges. The success of the MEP program, both locally and nationally, lies in its ability to produce tangible results—whether by helping manufacturers adopt technologies tailored to their unique needs and resources, or by implementing strategies that enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and boost profitability,” said Kinda Younes, Executive Director of ITAC, New York City’s NY-MEP Center.

    “LIMEP, operating out of Stony Brook University,  works with the many small and medium-sized manufacturers on Long Island supplying key Department of Defense programs.  By leveraging the NIST MEP resources in cyber security, technical resources and hands-on manufacturing engineering support with Stony Brook University’s vast research capabilities, manufacturers on Long Island are able to accelerate the development and adoption of advanced technologies that support DoD programs.  Our Long Island region helps to sustain the DoD supply chain that is so vital to our nation.  LIMEP is actively working with our regional manufacturers and the Bell Flight & Textron team to make the LI Supply Chain an important spoke in the national defense industrial base and the V-280 Valor Tiltrotor Program,” said Amy Erickson, Executive Director of the Long Island Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program.

    “If you look at our mission statement “To grow and strengthen manufacturing in the Capital Region”, that is why we exist and have taken great pride in it for over 20 years. Many manufacturing CEO’s have to come to rely on the MEP network for assistance with finding domestic supply chain partners, workforce challenges, Industry 4.0 adoption, operational excellence… and the list goes on. Bipartisan support including that from Congressman Schumer has been a hallmark of the MEP program because by any measure we have delivered results,” said Don Weisenforth, President of Center for Economic Growth, the Capital Region’s NY-MEP center.

    “Small manufacturers have been in the forefront of Buffalo’s and Western New York’s renaissance, with NYMEP providing critical support ranging from advanced technology and cybersecurity to workforce and supply chain.  We couldn’t provide these vital services without the MEP Program funding and bipartisan support provided by our Congressional Delegation, led by Senator Schumer,” said Ben Rand, President of Insyte Consulting, Western New York’s NY-MEP center.

    “The NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program is a cornerstone of American manufacturing, empowering small and mid-sized manufacturers with the tools, expertise, and resources they need to compete, grow, and innovate. These companies are the backbone of our economy and the heart of our communities. We are grateful for Senator Schumer’s leadership in urging the administration to restore full funding to this critical program—because investing in MEP is investing in jobs, resilience, and the future of U.S. manufacturing,” said James Senall, President of NextCorps, the Rochester/Finger Lakes Region’s NY-MEP center.

    “The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program is a critical resource for small and medium-sized manufacturers, especially in Central New York. No other program has MEP’s track record, documented history of success, or independently verified impacts. CNYTDO wouldn’t be able to provide these vital services without the MEP Program funding and bipartisan support provided by our Congressional Delegation, led by Senator Schumer,” said James A. D’Agostino, Center Director of CNYTDO, Central New York’s NY-MEP center.

    “The MEP National Network is a critical driver of America’s manufacturing resurgence, directly supporting the administration’s efforts to rebuild our industrial base. The Alliance for Manufacturing & Technology, part of the NY MEP, delivers that impact in the Southern Tier of NY – helping small and mid-sized manufacturers increase productivity, adopt advanced technologies, and address workforce and supply chain challenges head-on. Cutting the MEP program would have immediate consequences, including job losses and hindered growth at a time when these businesses are critical to America’s future in manufacturing. We deeply appreciate Senator Schumer’s leadership in championing this vital program and his unwavering commitment to strengthening American manufacturing,” said Carol Miller, Executive Director of the Alliance for Manufacturing and Technology, the Southern Tier’s NY-MEP center.

    “We must continue supporting Hudson Valley manufacturers with the tools they need to compete globally—not just nationally. After more than 30 years working alongside global manufacturers, I’ve seen firsthand how aggressive and integrated their supply chains can be. If we’re serious about reshoring, we must invest in the smaller manufacturers that form the backbone of those supply chains—while also strengthening workforce, cybersecurity, and technology readiness. The MEP program is critical to this work and deserves continued bipartisan support,” said David Carter, Executive Director of MTEC, the Hudson Valley’s NY-MEP center.

    “The NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program is critical to the success of Mohawk Valley Regional manufacturers. This investment and parentship has allowed for MVCC’s Advanced Institute for Manufacturing to assist more than 200 manufacturers and create and retain more than 2,900 Mohawk Valley advanced manufacturing jobs. We extend our deepest gratitude to Senator Schumer for advocating for this essential investment. This initiative underscores our dedication to innovation and community collaboration, promising a transformative influence on our workforce and students in the entire six-county region,” said Cory Albrecht, Director of Advanced Institute for Manufacturing, the Mohawk Valleys NY-MEP Center.

    “On behalf of CITEC and North Country Manufacturing I would like to thank Senator Schumer in his efforts to save the MEP system. As part of the NY MEP, CITEC can leverage the strength and resources of the entire national network to bring world class expertise to small and medium manufacturers in our remote rural region. CITEC raises the level of our expertise, of our talent, of our skills,” said Jay Ward, President and CEO of Ward Lumber in Jay, NY. “I would highly recommend CITEC for gaining skills and expertise and improving the overall operation of most any company I can think of, certainly ours.”

    Schumer and colleagues wrote a letter urging Commerce Secretary Lutnick not to cancel funding for ten MEP Centers across the country, which is creating uncertainty for all MEP centers. The Trump administration’s action cutting MEP came on April 1, one day before Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports, which tanked the stock market and raised warnings from experts of a recession.  

    Schumer led to passage of the bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law, which included $2.23 billion for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program over five years. The CHIPS & Science Law also established a pilot program of expansion awards for MEP Centers to provide services for workforce development, resiliency of domestic supply chains, and expanded support for adopting advanced technology upgrades at small and medium manufacturers. The Law also established a voluntary national supply chain database under MEP.

    Schumer’s letter to Commerce Secretary Lutnick can be found below:

    Dear Secretary Lutnick,

    We write to express our deep concern regarding the Department of Commerce’s recent decision to cancel future funding for ten National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers in Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming. This decision has raised widespread concern across the entire national network of MEP Centers, prompting fears about whether these initial cancellations are the first step in a broader effort to dismantle the program and eliminate federal funding for all 51 centers, with centers in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin expected to be notified about their status shortly. Given the MEP program’s long-standing, bipartisan support in strengthening small and medium-sized American manufacturers, we share these concerns and urge you to provide clarity and certainty on your plans for the future of the MEP program.

    According to the National Association of Manufacturers, 93% of manufacturers have fewer than 100 employees, while 75% have fewer than 20 employees. Small manufacturers rely on MEP Centers for essential support in adopting the latest advanced technologies, updating their cybersecurity, navigating supply chain challenges, and accessing workforce training—resources that are often out of reach for small businesses without this dedicated assistance. These centers drive innovation, boost productivity, and create high-quality jobs, strengthening both local economies and America’s global competitiveness. Without this critical federal support, MEP Centers—especially those with the fewest resources, and those serving rural and underserved communities—will be at the greatest risk of closure.

    Dismantling this program would not only disrupt benefits for small businesses but also undermine decades of federal investment in domestic manufacturing resilience, which Congress prioritized in the MEP program in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Congress also reauthorized the MEP program in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. NIST was provided $175 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 to fund the MEP Centers. In FY2024 alone, the MEP National Network resulted in $2.6 billion in cost savings, $15 billion in new and retained sales, $5 billion in new client investments, and over 108,000 jobs created or retained. Additionally, a report by Summit Consulting and the Upjohn Institute found that the MEP program generated a substantial economic and financial return ratio of more than 17:1 for the $175 million funding invested by the federal government in FY2023. The study also determined that MEP Center projects contributed to an overall increase of nearly 309,000 jobs across the United States.

    Given these benefits and the funding in the FY 2025 Continuing Resolution, we request a full explanation of the rationale behind this funding decision and ask that you promptly reconsider. Additionally, we urge the Department of Commerce to provide Congress with an impact assessment detailing how this decision will affect manufacturers in the affected states and regions. This action has caused tremendous uncertainty for all MEP Centers and the thousands of American manufacturing companies and their workers.  Therefore, to better understand your plans for renewals across other states in the future, we request a briefing on the way ahead for the overall MEP program prior to making any final non-renewal decisions by April 30, 2025. 

    Eliminating federal support for MEP Centers would hamper American small and medium-sized manufacturers. We urge you to take immediate action to protect the MEP program and the manufacturers that rely on it. We look forward to your response no later than April 30, 2025, and are ready to work with you to find solutions that maintain and enhance the MEP program’s ability to serve America’s manufacturing sector.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: South Bend Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SOUTH BEND – Earl Mines, 37 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.

    Mines was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 4 years of supervised release.

    According to documents in the case, in July 2024, Mines sold nearly 100 grams of a substance containing fentanyl. This occurred while Mines was on federal supervised release following his conviction for possessing with intent to distribute heroin, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and for possessing a stolen firearm.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, including the DEA North Central Laboratory, with assistance from the Indiana State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph P. Falvey.

    This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Launches Digital Portal for National Waterways

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Launches Digital Portal for National Waterways

    First NOC issued via the newly launched portal to Marina India Infrastructure Pvt Ltd for developing a Jetty on Malim on River Mandovi (NW 68) in Goa

    National Waterways Regulations 2025 Opens Door for Private Investment in Jetty and Terminal Development on National Waterways

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 7:40PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal launched a dedicated digital portal developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to invite private investment in infrastructure development on National Waterways. 

    With a ceremonial click, the Minister formally inaugurated the initiative, which is aimed at facilitating ease of doing business (EODB) and encouraging private investment in inland water transport (IWT) in the country. The launch follows the introduction of the National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025, which lays out a framework for private players to invest in the construction and operation of jetties and terminals across India’s national waterways network.

    As per the newly notified National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025, any entity — including private players — can now develop or operate an inland waterway terminal on a National Waterway by securing a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NoC) from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The regulations apply to both existing and new terminals, whether permanent or temporary. 

    Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister said, “The launch of the National Waterways Regulations, 2025, along with the digital portal developed by IWAI, marks a transformative step in India’s maritime and logistics ecosystem. By enabling private participation in developing jetties and terminals, we are going to unlock immense potential for sustainable infrastructure growth in the inland waterways transportation, a vision of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji. This initiative not only simplifies regulatory procedures but also reflects our commitment to Ease of Doing Business (EODB), economic empowerment, and job creation. It paves the way for a modern, efficient, economical and inclusive inland water transport system powering the nation towards Viksit Bharat.”

    *First NoC Through Newly Launched Digital Portal*

    As part of the launch event, Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal handed over the first No Objection Certificate (NoC) issued through the new digital portal to Mumbai-based Marina India Infrastructure Private Limited. This is the first-of-its-kind NoC issued digitally to any private entity for construction of a terminal on any national waterway in the country.

    With an investment of approximately Rs. 8 crores, the company will establish a jetty at Malim on National Waterway-68 (River Mandovi) in Goa. Designed to berth up to 16 privately owned yachts and pleasure crafts up to 30 meters in length, the jetty will support docking and undocking for each trip, helping boost river cruise tourism along the waterway.

    The Union Minister said, “Under the visionary leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, IWAI has transformed inland waterways into a powerful engine of economic growth—evident from the surge in cargo movement from 18 million tonnes to 133 million tonnes in FY 2023-24. The new National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025 will further accelerate this momentum by encouraging private investment, improving procedural efficiency, and advancing sustainable, digitally driven development.”

    The new regulations bring both permanent and temporary terminals—existing or new—under a unified framework. Permanent terminals can operate for a lifetime, while temporary ones will have an initial five-year term with provisions for extension. This streamlined approach is aimed at encouraging private participation and reinforcing the government’s commitment to sustainable, growth-driven development in the inland waterways sector.

    The event was also attended by Shri Vijay Kumar, Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), among other senior officials from IWAI and the Ministry. 

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    GDH/HR

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India and UK hold 13th Economic and Financial Dialogue in London today

    Source: Government of India

    India and UK hold 13th Economic and Financial Dialogue in London today

    India and UK reaffirm their commitment to continue collaboration in financial services sector, FinTech and Digital economy and between the respective regulatory bodies; collaboration at bilateral and multilateral fora to address mutual and global economic issues

    13th EFD concludes with adoption of Joint Statement by Union Finance Minister of India and Chancellor of Exchequer of United Kingdom

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:46PM by PIB Delhi

    The 13th Ministerial meeting of the India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (13th EFD) was held today at London. The Indian delegation, led by Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, held high-level discussions with the UK delegation led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt. Hon. Rachel Reeves.

    The Indian delegation comprised of the Finance Secretary, Chairman IFSCA, Whole Time Member from SEBI and other senior officers from Ministry of Finance and Indian High Commission in London. Governor RBI also attended the meeting in virtual mode. The UK delegation included the Governor of Bank of England, FCA CEO, Economic Secretary of Treasury, and senior officials from HM’s Treasury.

    Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continue collaboration in financial services sector, FinTech and Digital economy and between the respective regulatory bodies; collaboration at bilateral and multilateral fora to address mutual and global economic issues including mobilising affordable finance and investment for low carbon economic growth, taxation matters and illicit financial flows.

    Both sides welcomed the recent announcement of UK universities establishing campus in India, release of report of the India-UK Financial Partnership (IUKFP) on direct listing in IFSC GIFT City, launching of new private sector workstream on green finance, under the auspices of the IUKFP and other new areas of focus.

    The 13th EFD concluded with the adoption of the Joint Statement by Union Finance Minister of India and Chancellor of Exchequer of United Kingdom.

    Annexure:

    JOINT STATEMENT OF 13TH INDIA-UK ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL DIALOGUE

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    NB/KMN

    (Release ID: 2120597) Visitor Counter : 188

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Top 10 finalists of Innovate2Educate: Handheld Device Design Challenge announced ahead of WAVES 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 6:20PM by PIB Mumbai

    Mumbai, 9 April 2025

     

    The Indian Digital Gaming Society (IDGS) has announced the top 10 finalists of the Innovate2Educate: Handheld Device Design challenge. The competition, organised by the IDGS in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as part of the upcoming World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025, is aimed at driving innovation among the youth at the intersection of technology, education, and gaming, inspiring breakthrough ideas and design for handheld devices that can revolutionize learning experiences.

    Launched as a key initiative of WAVES 2025 Create in India Challenge, the Innovate2Educate challenge invited students, designers, startups, and tech enthusiasts from across the world to envision next-generation portable devices that blend entertainment with education for diverse user groups.

    The top 10 finalists have been selected from 1856 registration of innovative ideas after rigorous evaluation by an expert jury panel comprising industry leaders, technologists, educators, and designers. The jury includes Mr Indrajit Ghosh, Co-Founder, Eruditio; Mr Rajeev Nagar, Country Manager, Inda and SAARC, Huion; and Mr Jeffrey Cray, Co-Founder and Product Head, Squid Academy.

    The 10 finalists are:

    1. KARNATA PARVA – Code Craft Junior (Karnataka)
    2. VIDYARTHI – Smart Learning Tablet for Kids: An Interactive and Adaptive Educational Companion (Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh)
    3. TECH TITANS – Smart Handwriting Learning Device with Interactive Writing Assistance (Tamil Nadu)
    4. PROTOMINDS – EduSpark (Delhi, Kerala, UP, Bihar)
    5. APEX ACHIEVERS – BODMAS Quest: Gamified Math Learning For Smarter Education (Tamil Nadu)
    6. SCIENCEVERSE – The Imperative of Interactive Educational Handheld Devices for Children (Indonesia)
    7. V20 – VFit – Interactive Learning Through Play (Tamil Nadu)
    8. WARRIORS– Maha-shastra (Dehi)
    9. KIDDYMAITRI– A Handheld Mathematical Gaming Console (Mumbai, Odisha, Karnataka)
    10. E-GROOTS– Micro Controller Mastery Kit (Tamil Nadu)

    Talking about the competition, Rajan Navani, President of Indian Digital Gaming Society, said that the challenge has demonstrated how India’s creative and technological talent can design solutions that address real educational needs while leveraging the power of gamification and interactive content.

    Ashutosh Mohle, the nodal officer from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the Innovate2Educate challenge said that the WAVES Handheld Videogame Design Challenge is not just about gaming—it’s about nurturing a new wave of innovation in India’s hardware ecosystem. “By leveraging microcontrollers and aligning with the goals of the India Semiconductor Mission, we’re pushing young minds to dream, design, and build at the intersection of creativity and technology,” he said.

    The top 10 shortlisted teams will present their ideas at a special showcase during the WAVES 2025 in Mumbai. The winners of the challenge will be felicitated at the grand finale by the ministry.

                                            

    About Indian Digital Gaming Society

    The IDGS is a premier industry body promoting video gaming and esports, interactive media, and digital entertainment in India, fostering talent development, innovation, and industry collaborations.

     

    About WAVES

    The first World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit, a milestone event for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector, will be hosted by the Government of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra, from May 1 to 4, 2025.

    Whether you’re an industry professional, investor, creator, or innovator, the Summit offers the ultimate global platform to connect, collaborate, innovate and contribute to the M&E landscape.

    WAVES is set to magnify India’s creative strength, amplifying its position as a hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation. Industries and sectors in focus include Broadcasting, Print Media, Television, Radio, Films, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Sound and Music, Advertising, Digital Media, Social Media Platforms, Generative AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Extended Reality (XR).

    Have questions? Find answers here 

    Stay updated with the latest announcements from PIB Team WAVES

    Register for WAVES now

     

    * * *

    PIB TEAM WAVES 2025 | Riyas Babu/ Darshana | 89

    Follow us on social media: @PIBMumbai    /PIBMumbai     /pibmumbai   pibmumbai[at]gmail[dot]com  /PIBMumbai     /pibmumbai

    (Release ID: 2120522) Visitor Counter : 79

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls on Prime Minister of Nepal Shri K.P. Sharma Oli on the sidelines of 3rd BIMSTEC Ministerial meeting in Kathmandu.

    Source: Government of India

    Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan calls on Prime Minister of Nepal Shri K.P. Sharma Oli on the sidelines of 3rd BIMSTEC Ministerial meeting in Kathmandu.

    Shri Chouhan also holds bilateral meetings with Agriculture and Livestock Ministers of Nepal and Bhutan

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:43PM by PIB Delhi

     Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan led the Indian delegation during the bilateral meetings with Nepal and Bhutan. He was accompanied by the Ambassador of India to Nepal Shri Naveen Srivastava, Shri Samuel Praveen Kumar, Joint Secretary, DA&FW, Dr D.K. Yadava, Dy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR and Dr A.K. Mishra, Principal Scientist, ICAR in the meetings.

    The bilateral meeting between Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ welfare and rural development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Shri Ramnath Adhikari,  Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development of Nepal was held today in Kathmandu. The Ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture and discussed ways to further enhance collaboration for mutual benefit of both nations.

     A Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of India and Nepal on cooperation in the field of Agriculture was signed. This MoU supersedes the MoU signed between both the countries on 6 December 1991. The MoU will give a fresh impetus to the ongoing cooperation especially in areas such as improving crop productivity, post-harvest management, agricultural research & capacity building, market access, agricultural trade as also climate resilient & sustainable agriculture.

     Both sides discussed convening Joint Agriculture Working Group (JAWG) Meetings under the new MoU, and cooperation between the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC).  Both the Ministers reviewed the progress of India’s proposal for setting up of an Agro-Industrial Park in Chitwan. The Ministers also reviewed progress of the Agricultural projects under India’s High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) Programme in Nepal. Both sides also discussed cooperation in livestock sector and institutional collaboration between the agricultural educational institutions of both countries.

     Union Minister Shri Chouhan called on Shri Indramani Pandey, the Secretary General, BIMSTEC and discussed possible areas of cooperation between India and the BIMSTEC platform in the field of agriculture. The Minister noted that the BIMSTEC countries face shared challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and issues related to food security and nutrition, which call for regional cooperation and exchange of learnings from each other’s experiences. He also noted that the BIMSTEC countries need to work together to successfully implement the BIMSTEC Plan of Action 2023-2027 that was collectively adopted in the 5th BIMSTEC Summit in 2022.

     Minister reiterated India’s commitment to make meaningful contributions to strengthening BIMSTEC agricultural cooperation through ongoing initiatives like Govt. of India’s fully funded BIMSTEC Agricultural Scholarship Program, and training programmes and workshops on seed sector development, animal health and pest management, and emerging fields like nanotechnology management and applications of remote sensing in agriculture that were recently conducted. The Minister underlined India’s commitment in the establishment of the proposed BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence in Agriculture in New Delhi.

      Minister Shri Chouhan held a bilateral meeting with Mr Lyonpo Younten Phuntsho,  Minister for Agriculture and Livestock (MOAL) of Bhutan. The Ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation in the field of Agriculture, livestock and allied sectors with focus on areas like development of irrigation channels, mega farms etc. The Ministers also discussed about signing a MoU on technical cooperation between the two countries soon.

     Minister stressed on India’s commitment in furthering India’s ties with Bhutan. The Bhutanese side stressed on resource constraints and requested the Indian side for augmenting its funding support to Bhutanese initiatives.

     Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan called on Shri K.P. Sharma Oli,  Prime Minister of Nepal. The two leaders reaffirmed the close and friendly relations between India and Nepal and discussed ways to further strengthen India-Nepal cooperation in the field of agriculture. The Ministers conveyed hope that the newly signed MoU will pave way for increased cooperation between both the countries in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.

     Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan reiterated India’s commitment to support Nepal in agriculture and allied sectors through setting up of an agro-industrial park in Chitwan and a fertilizer plant in Nepal. Both sides also discussed market access issues.

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    PSF/KSR/AR

    (Release ID: 2120595) Visitor Counter : 25

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chairs meeting with Odisha Chief Minister, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, in New Delhi to review implementation of three New Criminal Laws in the State

    Source: Government of India

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chairs meeting with Odisha Chief Minister, Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, in New Delhi to review implementation of three New Criminal Laws in the State

    Odisha government should prioritize the 100% implementation of the New Criminal Laws across all levels of administration for the next six months

    Next decade is crucial for the development of Odisha; considering the state’s future industrial and technological growth, New Criminal Laws will play a vital role in strengthening law & order

    State’s Home Secretary should review the progress of implementing the New Criminal Laws once a week, Chief Secretary and DGP should review it every 15 days, and the Chief Minister should review on a monthly basis, setting a timeline for their implementation in the state

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:42PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, chaired a review meeting on the implementation of three new criminal laws in Odisha, in the presence of Chief Minister Shri Mohan Charan Majhi, in New Delhi today. The meeting reviewed the implementation and present status of various new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in Odisha. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Odisha, the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), the Director, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and other senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the government of Odisha.

     

     

    During the meeting, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, said that the Odisha government should prioritize 100% implementation of the new criminal laws across all levels of administration for the next six months.

    Shri Amit Shah said that the next decade is crucial for the development of an emerging state like Odisha. Considering the state’s future industrial and technological growth, he highlighted that the three new criminal laws will play a vital role in strengthening the law and order.

     

    Union Home Minister said that the state’s Home Secretary should review the progress of implementing new criminal laws on a weekly basis and the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police should review it fortnightly and the Chief Minister should review on a monthly basis, prioritizing the timelines of implementation.

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    VV/RR/PR/PS

    (Release ID: 2120594) Visitor Counter : 46

    Read this release in: Hindi

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu launches Aviation Career Guidance Programme at Indian Aviation Academy

    Source: Government of India

    Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu launches Aviation Career Guidance Programme at Indian Aviation Academy

    Inspires Students to Dream Sky-High

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 7:03PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ram Mohan Naidu today launched a ‘Career Guidance Programme in Aviation’ for school students, with the inaugural session held at the Indian Aviation Academy, New Delhi. The initiative aims to inspire and educate students of Classes 11 and 12 about diverse career pathways within the aviation sector — from piloting and air traffic control to aircraft design, airport management, and beyond.

    An interactive session was conducted by women pilots, during which they addressed students’ queries and shared insights from their professional journeys. The students participated with great enthusiasm, making it a highly engaging and inspiring exchange.

    Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, the youngest cabinet minister in India, addressed the students and shared the vision behind this initiative. “We want to capture that passion. We want to have more people involved in aviation. The way that Indian aviation is growing is like no other country,” he said, while highlighting the importance of nurturing talent early to match the pace of India’s booming aviation ecosystem.

    Shri Ram Mohan Naidu further emphasized the scale of upcoming opportunities: “There Is a demand of 1700 new planes, and each plane creates a demand of 15 to 20 pilots. That means you’re creating 34,000 jobs on just pilots itself. We don’t want foreigners to come here and pilot our planes. We want our own Indian students… our Indian community to cater to the demand that’s grown domestically.”

    Underscoring the government’s achievements and future roadmap, the Minister noted, “In 2014, there were 74 airports. We doubled it up. Now the number of airports in the country is up to 159. And now I’ll be the Minister for the next five years and I want to plan to build 50 more airports. The government has decided that in the next 10 years, we have to bring 120 new destinations in the country.”

    Shri Naidu encouraged students to take ownership of their aspirations. “Each one of those planes you see up are not just aircrafts, but they are a whole universe of possibilities waiting for your approval,” he said. “As early as you decide, as early as you tap into the passion that you have, it becomes much easier for you to guide yourself in that path,” he added.

    In addition to policy support and infrastructure expansion, the Minister highlighted key legislative reforms, such as the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam and the Aircraft Protection of Interest in Aircraft Object Bill, which aim to bolster the domestic aviation ecosystem and stimulate employment.

    Special attention was given to the presence and encouragement of women pilots at the event. “Much of the focus has been because there are a lot of charming pilots here, especially the women pilots who have given you patiently, heard you and given you all the answers,” Shri Ram Mohan Naidu said, inspiring young students to look beyond traditional career perceptions.

    With India poised to become a global aviation hub, this initiative marks a strategic move to align young talent with the country’s ambitious aviation growth trajectory.

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    Beena Yadav/Divyanshu Kumar

    (Release ID: 2120543) Visitor Counter : 91

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 8th Session of India-Russia Working Group on Priority Investment Projects held in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India

    8th Session of India-Russia Working Group on Priority Investment Projects held in New Delhi

    India and Russia agree on 6 new strategic projects to boost bilateral investment cooperation

    2nd Edition of India-Russia Investment Forum held alongside Working Group meeting

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:35PM by PIB Delhi

    The 8th Session of the India-Russia Working Group on Priority Investment Projects (IRWG-PIP) under the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation was held in New Delhi today.

    The Working Group meeting was held successfully, with the co-chairs signing a protocol highlighting multiple projects of strategic importance to both nations. The session aimed at strengthening economic ties between India and Russia by identifying and advancing collaborative projects in sectors of mutual interest.

    The Working Group also reviewed the outcomes of the 7th session, and both sides agreed to include six new strategic projects aimed at deepening bilateral investment cooperation. Discussions were held in a constructive atmosphere, with both countries reaffirming their commitment to expand investment collaboration across various sectors.

    On the sidelines of the 8th Session of IRWG-PIP, the 2nd Edition of the India-Russia Investment Forum was also organised, in collaboration with Invest India, Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

    The Session was co-chaired by Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia from the Indian side, and Deputy Minister of the Ministry for Economic Development of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Vladimir Ilichev, from the Russian side.

    The India-Russia Investment Forum saw enthusiastic participation from over 80 Indian and Russian businesses, including entrepreneurs, financial institutions, cargo companies, business chambers, researchers, and officials.

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    Abhishek Dayal/ Abhijith Narayanan/ Ishita Biswas

    (Release ID: 2120588) Visitor Counter : 78

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Telecom Service Providers publish mobile network coverage map on their websites as per the mandate given by TRAI

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 6:54PM by PIB Delhi

     In a significant move to enhance transparency and empower mobile subscribers, Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have published mobile network coverage maps on their websites, as per the mandate given by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

    Earlier, TRAI released revised Regulations namely “The Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wirelines and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024 (06 of 2024)’ on 02nd August 2024. These regulations have become effective from 1st October 2024 and applicable for both access and broadband services provided on wireline as well as wireless media.

    The regulations mandates that “Every service provider providing access service (wireless) shall publish on its website the service wise geospatial coverage maps in such a manner and format, as may be directed by the Authority from time to time, for the geographical areas where wireless voice or wireless broadband service is available for subscription by consumers.” As per the regulations, the publication of mobile network coverage map was to be completed by 1st April 2025.

     To ensure uniformity of coverage maps across the TSPs and their timely rollout, TRAI issued detailed technical guidelines for publication of mobile network coverage map vide Direction no RG-17/(3)/2022-QoS dated 22nd November 2024. Copy of the same is available on TRAI website (https://trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/2024-11/Direction_22112024.pdf).

    In compliance with the requirement of the QoS regulations, TSPs have now published mobile network coverage maps on their respective websites. Details of their links are as follows:

     

    To enable easy user access, these links of mobile coverage maps have been consolidated on TRAI website. The coverage maps of different service providers can also be accessed on TRAI website using following path :

    TRAI Website (www.trai.gov.in) à Consumer Info à Mobile Coverage Map à [Service Provider]               

    The newly introduced coverage maps offer a variety of user-friendly features for easy accessibility and navigation with standard color scheme. It also provides the option to see the coverage of specific technology like 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G offered by respective TSP in their area of interest. Users can use search options or enable location on their device to navigate to their current location. The toggle switch or technology selection button may be used to select coverage maps of technology of their interest i.e. 2G/3G/4G/5G etc.

    The mobile subscribers may share their feedback or report any major discrepancy in coverage representation with their service provider through user feedback feature available on coverage maps. However, users may kindly note that actual mobile coverage experience may sometime vary from the coverage shown in map, including in indoor areas, as it depends upon various dynamic parameters.

    The mobile network coverage maps are not only useful for subscribers but also provide status of telecom coverage across the country which can be used by different stakeholders for planning and rollout of e-enabled initiatives. These maps may also be used for data driven evaluation of requirements of any regulatory or policy intervention.

    For any clarification/information, Shri Tejpal Singh, Advisor (QoS-I) TRAI may be contacted on email: adv-qos1@trai.gov.in or at Tel. No. +91-11-20907759.

     

     

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    Samrat/ Allen

    (Release ID: 2120539) Visitor Counter : 135

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu inaugurates Digital Flight Data Recorder Lab at Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, equipped with state-of-art equipments

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:32PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, today inaugurated the cutting-edge Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder (DFDR & CVR) Laboratory at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) at Udaan Bhawan in New Delhi. Widely referred to as the “Black Box Lab,” this state-of-the-art facility has been established with an investment of ₹ nine crore.

    The inauguration witnessed the presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Indian Air Force, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Airports Authority of India, and Airports Economic Regulatory Authority. Chiefs of Flight Safety from all major scheduled airlines also attended this landmark event.

    Addressing the gathering, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu emphasized the significance of this new facility in bolstering aviation safety. He stated that this achievement brings India one step closer to a safer aviation ecosystem by enabling the identification of root causes of incidents more effectively and ensuring accountability, which remains the cornerstone of aviation safety. The Minister highlighted that only through effective and independent investigations can future accidents be prevented.

    The Minister lauded the contributions of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in supporting AAIB to establish advanced DFDR and CVR laboratories and equipping them to analyze retrieved flight data from aircraft. He expressed pride in HAL’s indigenous capacity to manufacture and repair FDRs, noting that India now boasts one of the most advanced avionics systems globally. Acknowledging the rapid expansion of India’s aviation sector, he underscored the need for equally robust safety measures to keep pace with the vision of achieving 350–400 airports by 2047, as envisioned under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

    The state-of-the-art facility will enable AAIB to repair damaged black boxes, retrieve data, and conduct thorough analyses of accidents and incidents. With the ability to correlate data from the Cockpit Voice Recorder, Radar, and Flight Data Recorder, the lab will enhance the accuracy of investigative findings. The establishment of this lab, built to international standards and comparable to those of developed nations, fulfills India’s obligations as an ICAO member state.

    Director General, AAIB, Shri G V G Yugandhar stated that the lab would extend its support to neighboring nations in aviation investigations, demonstrating India’s commitment to regional safety collaboration. Additionally, with the ambitious goal of manufacturing aircraft and helicopters for commercial use, the facility will play a crucial role not only in accident investigation but also in ensuring accident prevention through required design changes and operating procedure updates.

    This facility represents a critical step in strengthening India’s position as a global aviation leader. The Ministry of Civil Aviation remains steadfast in its commitment to making air travel in India both safe and comfortable, aligning with the broader national vision of a robust and secure aviation ecosystem.

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    Beena Yadav/Divyanshu Kumar

    (Release ID: 2120587) Visitor Counter : 60

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Workshop on Developing Ecosystem for Assistive Technology in India” Organised by NITI Aayog

    Source: Government of India

    Workshop on Developing Ecosystem for Assistive Technology in India” Organised by NITI Aayog

    Organised in Collaboration with Govt of Maharashtra

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 6:37PM by PIB Delhi

    NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, organised a workshop on the theme “Developing Ecosystem for Assistive Technology in India” at YASHADA, Pune today.

    The workshop was inaugurated by Shri Sanjay Shirsat, Minister of Social Justice and Special Assistance Department, Govt of Maharashtra. Dr. V.K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, Smt. Sujata Saunik, Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra, Dr. Rajib Kumar Sen, Senior Adviser, NITI Aayog, Shri Niranjan Kumar Sudhanshu, Director General, YASHADA, and Shri K.S. Rejimon, Joint Secretary, NITI Aayog, were also present among other dignitaries.

    In his inaugural address, Hon’ble Minister highlighted the importance of domestic capabilty of AT industry and its role in promoting inclusivity.

    Dr. V.K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, in his special address, emphasised the need for developing an eco-system for Assistive Technology which is critical for social inclusion in achieving the vision@2047.

    The day long workshop included three sessions deliberating the challenges, gaps, best practices, initiatives and role of Central Government, State Govt., International organisation, Industry/ Start-ups etc.

    The first session focused on “Improving Access to Assistive Technology in India”. The session provided a comprehensive view of how key government initiatives, policies, and inter-sectoral collaborations which are playing a transformative role in making assistive technologies more accessible for persons with disabilities (PwDs), the elderly, and other marginalised communities. 

    In the second session on “State Initiatives in Assistive Technology”, The representatives from state Governments of Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, highlighted how targeted policies, partnerships, and on-the-ground efforts are improving the reach and impact of AT.

    The third session of the Assistive Technology workshop focused on “AT Manufacturing and Global Collaborations” brought forth significance of fostering a strong domestic manufacturing base for AT and the immense value of global partnerships. Representatives of WHO, UNDP, ATSCale (UNOPS), World Bank, AssisTech Foundation and Tynor, highlighted the key role of global collaborations in advancing AT in India, as India aspires to become a global hub for AT innovation and manufacturing.

    In the Concluding session Shri Ramdas Athawale, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment addressed the participants and underscored the importance of building an inclusive society.

    The deliberations and suggestions emerged during the workshop will pave the way for developing an eco-system for Assistive Technology in India to achieve Viksit Bharat vision @2047 of building an inclusive society.

     

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    MJPS/SR

    (Release ID: 2120533) Visitor Counter : 89

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ‘Ayodhya Parv 2025’ – A Three-Day Celebration of Faith, Culture, and Dialogue at IGNCA

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:25PM by PIB Delhi

    Dedicated to the glory of Ayodhya — a revered centre of Indian culture, art, and devotion – and counted among India’s significant cultural festivals, ‘Ayodhya Parv 2025’  will be held from 11 to 13 April at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Janpath, New Delhi. This three-day cultural celebration will serve as a confluence of devotion, classical traditions, and dialogue, bringing together saints, cultural thinkers, policymakers, scholars, and artists from across the country.

    The festival will commence on 11 April at 3:00 PM with the inauguration of an exhibition. On this occasion, an exhibition of artworks by renowned painter Padma Shri Vasudev Kamath, based on ‘Maryada Purushottam’ (Lord Rama), will be unveiled. Alongside this, two special exhibitions will be on view — ‘Sundarakanda’, a collection of Pahari miniature paintings based on the ‘Valmiki Ramayana’, and ‘Badi Hai Ayodhya’, a pictorial representation of the pilgrimage tradition of the Chaurasi Kos Parikrama (84 kos circuit) around Ayodhya.

    Following the exhibition, a special discussion session will take place featuring Mahant Shri Kamal Nayan Das of Maniramdas Chhawani, Geeta Manishi Mahamandaleshwar Pujya Gyananand Ji Maharaj, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Shri Manoj Sinha, IGNCA Chairman Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Shri Champat Rai, and artist Shri Vasudev Kamath. The evening will conclude with cultural performances including ‘mridang vadan’ (percussion performance) and devotional singing starting at 6:00 PM.

    On the second day, 12 April, a symposium on ‘Temple Management in Indian Society’ will be held at 11:00 AM, where leading saints of Ayodhya will engage in dialogue with administrative and cultural experts. At 3:00 PM, another symposium will focus on ‘The Contribution of Goswami Tulsidas in the Innovation of Indian Culture,’ with scholars from across India presenting their insights. The cultural evening will include a solo tabla recital, followed by a Kathak and Bharatanatyam performance by Richa Tripathi and her team.

    The final day of the festival, 13 April, will also be marked by rich intellectual and artistic engagements. At 11:00 AM, a symposium titled ‘Shri Ram in the Essays of Kuber Nath Rai’ will feature prominent Hindi scholars. The concluding ceremony will witness the presence of Pujya Govind Dev Giri Ji Maharaj, Treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust; Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly; IGNCA Chairman Shri Ram Bahadur Rai; Prof. Ramesh Chandra Gaur, Dean (Administration) and Head of Kala Nidhi Division at IGNCA; and eminent artist Shri Sunil Vishwakarma. The final performances will include ‘Alha’ singing by Faujdar Singh and his troupe, along with traditional folk songs by folk singer Vijaya Bharti.

    Ayodhya Parv 2025 is a unique endeavour that brings Indian art, spirituality, and timeless values into renewed public focus—an initiative by IGNCA and Shri Ayodhya Nyas that unfolds in the heart of the capital. The festival evokes the cultural spirit nurtured through the Ramayana and the enduring voice of Tulsidas.

    IGNCA and Shri Ayodhya Nyas are delighted to invite you to be part of this exceptional celebration. The festival promises a vibrant blend of devotion, culture, art, and dialogue. All media representatives are warmly welcomed to cover and participate in this extraordinary cultural event.

    Please find the invitation link 

    ***

    Sunil Kumar Tiwari

    pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com

    (Release ID: 2120582) Visitor Counter : 48

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: ECI’s extensive grassroot training programme gathers steam

    Source: Government of India

    ECI’s extensive grassroot training programme gathers steam

    217 BLOs from West Bengal along with 2 DEOs, 12 EROs commences at IIIDEM

    One-Day Orientation Programme for Media and Social Media Nodal Officers and District PROs concludes

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:16PM by PIB Delhi

    A two-Day National Training Programme comprising 2 DEOs, 12 EROs & 217 BLOs from West Bengal commenced at IIIDEM today. This initiative forms part of the broader training plan for the capacity augmentation of grassroot election functionaries as envisaged by the Commission during the CEO’s Conference held at IIIDEM on the 4th of March

    ECI also concluded a one-day Orientation Programme for Media Nodal Officers, Social Media Nodal Officers, and District Public Relations Officers at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi, today. The orientation was aimed at enhancing coordination and preparedness of election officials in an evolving media landscape.

    Media Officers from 28 States and 8 UTs participated in the orientation programme which aims to develop an effective communication strategy to ensure proactive information dissemination, counter misinformation, and promote voter awareness through various media platforms, in accordance with the legal framework i.e. the RP Act 1950 & 1951; Registration of Elector Rules 1960, Conduct of Election Rules 1961 and the instructions issued by ECI from time to time.

    In his address, CEC Shri Gyanesh Kumar while acknowledging the pivotal role of media as a key stakeholder in the electoral process, emphasized the importance of factual, timely and transparent communication in upholding the trust of voters in the electoral processes in a digitally mediated information world. He underlined that media officers must be proactive in communicating accurate information and rise to the challenge of ensuring that voters are correctly informed and empowered to discern facts from narratives without factual basis.

    ******

    PK/GDH/RP

    (Release ID: 2120577) Visitor Counter : 10

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LOK SABHA SPEAKER APPRECIATES UZBEK SCHOLARS’ DEEP INTEREST IN INDIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE

    Source: Government of India

    LOK SABHA SPEAKER APPRECIATES UZBEK SCHOLARS’ DEEP INTEREST IN INDIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE

    INDIA HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN SHAPING THE 21ST CENTURY: LOK SABHA SPEAKER

    INDIA AND UZBEKISTAN WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN REALIZING DREAM OF GLOBAL HUMAN VALUES, PEACE, STABILITY, PROGRESS, AND FREEDOM IN THE 21ST CENTURY: LOK SABHA SPEAKER

    LOK SABHA SPEAKER INTERACTS WITH INDOLOGISTS AND STUDENTS IN UZBEKISTAN

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:07PM by PIB Delhi

    Tashkent/New Delhi; 09 April 2025: Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla has appreciated the scholars of Uzbekistan for their deep interest and understanding in Indian languages, including Hindi and Sanskrit. The Uzbek scholars have not only learned Indian languages but have also expressed it in their literary works, he observed. Interacting with the Indologists, teachers and students at the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri School in Tashkent today, Shri Birla noted that the scholars through their teaching and research works, have strengthened the historic relationship between India and Uzbekistan. Over 600 students are learning Hindi at the school and are having a deep appreciation for Indian languages and culture.

    Shri Birla mentioned that many Indologists have received prestigious awards for their diplomatic activities, including the highest awards in India and other countries. He also noted that an Uzbek-Hindi dictionary has also been created by the teachers in Uzbekistan which was inaugurated by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.

    Shri Birla said that India has an important role in shaping the 21st century, adding that there are immense opportunities for collective development and collaboration with friendly nations like Uzbekistan. He further said that through engagement in areas such as the environment, language, culture, and education, mutual understanding would be broadened. Shri Birla recalled that during his visit, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had highlighted the popularity of Indian films and music in Uzbekistan and reminded the audience that in 2012, Uzbek Radio completed 50 years of broadcasting

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LOK SABHA SPEAKER EXTENDS GREETINGS ON EVE OF MAHAVIR JAYANTI

    Source: Government of India

    Posted On: 09 APR 2025 8:05PM by PIB Delhi

    New Delhi, 09 April 2025: Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla has extended greetings to the people on the eve of Mahavir Jayanti. In his message, Shri Birla said:

    “Jai Jinendra,

    On the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir Swami, the 24th Tirthankar of Jainism, who is the embodiment of non-violence, compassion, forgiveness, and mercy, I extend my heartfelt wishes and congratulations to everyone, especially to my Jain brothers and sisters.

    The life and teachings of Lord Mahavir Swami teach us that true strength lies in non-violence, true prosperity in renunciation, and true happiness in selfless service. He gave the world the mantra of “Live and Let Live,” which remains as relevant today as it was in his time.

    Today, as the world grapples with many challenges, the thoughts of Lord Mahavir guide us toward the right path. His message is not only for a specific religion but for all of humanity. If we adopt his principles in our lives, we can create an atmosphere of love, peace, and goodwill in society.

    On this Mahavir Jayanti, let’s resolve to walk on the path of non-violence and truth, to embrace compassion and mercy in our lives, and to foster love and respect for every living being. May Lord Mahavir shower his blessings on you, and may your life be filled with happiness, peace, and harmony.

    Wishing you all an auspicious Mahavir Jayanti!

    ***

    AM

    (Release ID: 2120569) Visitor Counter : 58

    Read this release in: Hindi

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