Belt road

“These plants would protect the environment, add greenery to the roads, cut soil erosion and at the same time would be a repository of medicines for people. We began the herbal roads programme in 2018 by making 18 roads (total length 187 km) in the state herbal by planting 6,690 saplings. Then the following year, a total of 16,029 saplings were planted on 53 roadsides (total length 311 km). This time the programme will be replicated in all the 175 PWD divisions of the state,” said deputy chief minister and PWD minister, Keshav Prasad Maurya in a statement. … [Read more...] about UP speeds up herbal belt project

A full-spectrum debate on China is now raging across the U.S. Former White House Chief of Staff Steve Bannon declared that the U.S. is already at war with China. Others like diplomat Richard Haass and former president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, warn that a new Cold War will be a mistake. Scholar Julian Gewirtz, in his brilliant essay, ‘The Chinese Reassessment of Interdependence’, talks about a similar process under way in Beijing. Both sides are acutely aware how closely their economies are tied together: from farm to factory, the U.S. is heavily dependent on supply chains in China and the Chinese have been unable to break free of the dollar. If Mr. Trump’s wish is to disentangle China’s supply chains, Mr. Xi is equally determined to escape from the U.S. ‘chokehold’ on technology. To what extent the de-coupling is possible is yet to be determined, but one thing is inevitable, India will become part of the collateral damage. … [Read more...] about A chill in U.S.-China relations

What makes Auto Expo exciting is not just the new launches but also the prototypes and facelifts that cars get. Maruti Suzuki’s acclaimed subcompact crossover SUV, got a facelift at this year’s Auto Expo. Unveiled at the 13th Auto Expo in 2016, the SUV made a comeback at Auto Expo 2020.The vehicle comes with a 1.5 litre petrol engine with higher fuel efficiency and lower emissions, the company said. The automatic trims come with progressive smart hybrid technology.The all-new Vitara Brezza offers a host of convenience and safety features including auto-retracting outside rear view mirror (ORVM), auto-dimming and anti glare inside rear view mirror (IRVM) and gear shift indicator.The new vehicle is also loaded with the latest safety features including dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, driver and co-driver seat belt reminder, rear parking assist, high speed warning alert, reverse parking sensors as standard across all variants.The all-new Vitara Brezza will be available with a … [Read more...] about Mercedes-Benz India launches top-end variants of GLE LWB at Rs 89.90 lakh

The stand-off began a month back with scuffles on the night of May 5 at Pangong Tso, resulting in serious injuries on both sides. There was another scuffle on May 9 at Naku La in Sikkim. Beginning then, China has systematically brought in large number of troops inside Indian territory at various points at Pangong Tso, Galwan and Hot Springs in Ladakh. … [Read more...] about Experts caution on outcome of Lt. Gen. level talks

Galwan has never been an area of contention, and sources said this would be strongly conveyed to the Chinese delegation. India and China have identified 23 “disputed and sensitive” areas along the LAC and both Galwan in Ladakh and Naku La in Sikkim do not figure on the list. … [Read more...] about LAC standoff | India-China dialogue to focus on eastern Ladakh