President Murmu leads nation in celebrating Republic Day; Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi chief guest
Six ‘Agniveers’ have been made part of the Navy’s marching contingent during the 74th Republic Day celebrations when the ceremonial parade will take place on Kartavya Path amid patriotic fervour. President Droupadi Murmu will lead the nation in celebrating the Republic Day, and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be the chief guest at the ceremonial event. The country’s military assets which will be displayed during the parade include made-in-India equipment, showing the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Main battle tank Arjun, Nag Missile System (NAMIS) and K-9 Vajra will also be showcased, the defence ministry said in the statement.
India moving past ‘mentality of slavery’, says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India was moving past a “mentality of slavery” and exhorted the country’s youth to embrace India’s rich heritage, said a press release by the Prime Minister’s Office. Addressing the National Cadet Corps cadets and National Service Scheme volunteers in New Delhi, PM Modi said, “You are young, this is time for you to make your future. You are the creator of new thoughts and new standards. You are the trailblazer for New India.” Mentioning the resolution of ‘pride in our heritage’ and ‘freedom from the mentality of slavery’, he highlighted the role of youth in these resolutions.
As world’s fastest-growing economy at 5.8%, India ‘bright spot’: UN economist
As the fastest-growing major economy at a clip of 5.8 per cent this year, India is a “bright spot” when the world economy is expected to grow by only 1.9 per cent, according to the UN’s chief official monitoring the global economy. For the next year, the UN is projecting a growth rate of 6.7 per cent, a “very high growth relative to other G20 member countries”, the group of the large developed and emerging economies headed by India, said Hamid Rashid, the Chief of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch. Briefing reporters at the release of the UN’s World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report, Rashid said that India’s growth trajectory will be “good” for attaining the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for poverty reduction and development.
“China-India border situation stable at the moment”: Chinese Vice FM Sun Weidong
Calling the China-India border situation “stable at the moment”, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong told Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat that the two sides should stand high and look far and view the bilateral relations from a comprehensive and long-term perspective. Sun said both India and China should implement the important consensus between the leaders of the two nations and also strengthen communication, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said in a statement. “The China-India border situation is generally stable at the moment, and is switching from emergency response to normalized management and control,” Weidong said.