India has announced contributing 10 million US dollar to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over the coming two years.

Addressing an Extraordinary Virtual Ministerial Pledging Conference for UNRWA, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said yesterday that capacity enhancement through training and building durable institutions is a major plank of our developmental assistance to Palestine.

Asserting that UNRWA needs continued support, Mr Muraleedharan said when certain countries withdrew funding, India had stepped up its annual pledge from  1.25 million US dollar to 5 million US dollar in 2018. He said, for this year, India has  already disbursed  two million dollar  and will soon be remitting the balance three million dollar. He said, India provides 250 annual scholarships to Palestinian youth and officials, apart from regular customised training programmes, and our current project grant is around 72 million dollar. He said, as a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause, India deeply appreciates the generous support and untiring work of host countries, donors and UNRWA to ensure millions of our Palestinian brothers and sisters displaced from their homeland lead a life of dignity.

He said, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe, stretching governments’ resources to address healthcare and socio-economic needs of their own people, and constraining capacities to assist others. He said, but victory over this unprecedented crisis demands collective and concerted action. He said, therefore, despite a surge in domestic demand for medical supplies amidst rising Covid cases, India  is assisting countries in need of critical, life saving drugs. He said, India is  sending a medical shipment to Palestine next week.

Indian government has decided to reduce the staff strength of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by 50 per cent. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the behaviour of Pakistan and its officials is not in conformity with the Vienna Convention and bilateral agreements on the treatment of diplomatic and consular officials. On the contrary, it is an intrinsic element of a larger policy of supporting cross-border violence and terrorism, it added.

MEA referred to the recent abduction at gunpoint of two Indian officials in Pakistan who were subjected to severe ill treatment. Foreign Ministry said that the act underlines the extent to which Pakistan has gone in this direction. The abducted officials after their return to India have provided graphic details of the barbaric treatment that they experienced at the hands of Pakistani agencies. In this connection, the Charge d’ Affaires of Pakistan was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday and informed that India had repeatedly expressed concern about the activities of officials of Pakistan High Commission. It said that the Pakistani officials have been engaged in acts of espionage and maintained dealings with terrorist organizations.

The Foreign Ministry also highlighted the activities of the two officials caught red-handed and were expelled last month as a glaring example. It said that Pakistan has engaged in a sustained campaign to intimidate the officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad from carrying on their legitimate diplomatic functions. Indian High Commission will also reduce its staff strength in Islamabad to 50 per cent in the next seven days.

Russia has supported India’s bid for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, a Russia, India and China (RIC) meeting discussed probable reforms of the United Nations and India is a strong nominee to become a permanent member of the UNSC. 

He said, Moscow supports India’s candidacy and believes India can become a full-fledged member of the Security Council. Foreign ministers of the RIC discussed reforms of the United Nations during the trilateral meet held through video conferencing. 

UNSC comprises five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.India has been elected as non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term recently. India’s two year term will begin on January 1, 2021. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India and Russia share relationships based on special and privileged Strategic Partnership. He said Russia has assured that the ongoing military contracts between the two countries will be maintained, and in a number of cases, will be taken forward in a shorter time. Mr Rajnath Singh was speaking to the media in Moscow yesterday after meeting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov. Mr. Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Russia to attend the 75th Anniversary of Victory Day Parade, said his visit to Moscow is the first foreign visit of an official delegation from India after the COVID pandemic.

Terming it as a sign of special friendship, Mr Singh said, despite all the difficulties of the pandemic, bilateral relations between Delhi and Moscow have been keeping good contacts at various levels. He said, during the meeting, Indo-Russian defence cooperation was reviewed and plans to further extend it was discussed. Affirming defence relationship as one the important pillars in the relationship between the two countries, Mr. Singh informed that Indian proposals have received positive responses from the Russian side. He asserted that the traditional friendship between India and Russia remains strong and both countries continue to cooperate on mutual and shared interests. The Defence Minister said, he is looking forward to participating in the 75th Victory Parade wherein an Indian Military contingent will be marching in the Red Square today. He conveyed greetings to the people of Russia and especially the veterans, who he said, have immensely contributed for the common security of both the nations.

He also remembered the Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the second world war and said, many of these soldiers were part of the war efforts to provide assistance to the Soviet Army.

The meeting of Indian and Russian Defence Ministers holds high significance in terms of early procurement of S-400 Anti Missile system from Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to visit India later this year.
 

In Tamil Nadu, a 7-day full lockdown in Madurai came into effect at midnight last night. It will be in force till the end of this month. The move is aimed at containing the recent surge in fresh Covid-19 cases in the city and its suburbs.

Tamil Nadu witnessed 2516 new Covid-19 cases yesterday, taking the total to 64,603.

AIR correspondent reports, Madurai joins Chennai in the state in going for the complete lockdown, which many say is a lockdown within the lockdown, the reason being the soaring new cases of Covid-19. The measure is aimed at breaking the chain of the spread of the elusive virus. Along with Madurai, its suburbs and adjacent villages also come under the intensified lockdown as they form a contiguous area.

However, retail outlets of essentials can function upto 2 pm including fuel stations. Health facilities can function without any restrictions, though vehicular movement is permitted bare to the minimum.

Meanwhile, the state Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy is slated to interact with all the district collectors today to review the current situation.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that it has now facilitated setting up one thousand laboratories across the country for testing Covid-19 samples.

In a tweet, ICMR termed it as a major milestone towards enhanced testing in the country. It added that there are 730 government labs and 270 private labs for the testing. The ICMR also said there was only one lab for testing on 23rd January this year, 160 labs on 23rd March and now the number has reached one thousand labs. It has advised all states, public and private institutions and hospitals to take required steps to scale-up testing for Covid-19.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that around 20 thousand beds including 250 ICU beds for COVID -19 infected persons will be added in the National Capital by next week. Mr Shah said that ten thousand bedded COVID Care Centre at Radha Swami Beas at Chhatarpur of Delhi will be operational by 26th of this month. He said, the work is in full swing and a large part of the facility will be operational by Friday. Mr Shah said this in a tweet while replying to a letter written by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inviting Mr Shah  to inspect the COVID Care Centre  at Chhattarpur. Delhi Chief Minister had also requested for deployment of doctors and nurses from ITBP and Army at the Centre. Mr Shah said,  Home Ministry  has already assigned the work of operating the COVID Care Centre at Radha Swami Beas to ITBP.

The  Home Minister said  that one thousand  bed full-fledged hospitals with 250 ICU beds for COVID -19 infected persons will be ready by next week. He said,  DRDO and Tata Trust are building the facility with the support of the Central Government. He said, Armed forces personnel will man it and  this Covid Care Centre will be ready in the next 10 days. He said, Armed Forces personnel have been detailed for providing medical care and attention to the infected persons housed in the Railway Coaches in the national capital. He said, eight thousand additional beds have already been placed at Delhi government’s disposal for making COVID Care Centres, as per requirement.

William Ogdon’s column appeared on the editorial page of the New York Times on. December 30, 1945.

There was never a time when so much official effort was being expended to produce happiness, and probably never a time when so little attention was paid by the individual to creating the personal qualities that make for it. What one misses most today is the evidence of widespread personal determination to develop a character that will in itself, given any reasonable odds, make for happiness. Our whole emphasis is on the reform of living conditions, of increased wages, of controls on the economic structure- the government approach – and so little on man improving himself.

The ingredients of happiness are so simple that they can be counted on one hand. Happiness comes from within, and rests most securely on simple goodness and clear conscience. Religion may not be essential to it, but no one is known to have gained it without a philosophy resting on ethical principles. Selfishness is its enemy; to make another happy is to be happy one’s self. It is quite, seldom found for long in crowds, most easily won in moments of solitude and reflection. It cannot be bought; indeed, money has very little to do with it.

No one is happy unless he is reasonably well satisfied with himself, so that the quest for tranquillity must of necessity begin with self examination. We shall not often be content with what we discover in this scrutiny. There is so much to do, and so little done. Upon this searching self analysis, however, depends the discovery of those qualities that make each man unique, and whose development alone can bring satisfaction.

Of all those who have tried, down the ages, to outline a program for happiness, few have succeeded so well as William Henry Channing, chaplain of the House of Representatives in the middle of the last century:

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy . . . to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to the stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never ; in a word to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.”

It will be noted that no government can do this for you; you must do it for yourself.

Taken from Light from many Lamps by Lillian Eichler Watson.