AUGUST 15, 2019 2 Ram Nath Kovind Narendra Modi Independence Day Greetings President of India Prime Minister of India Message of the Ambassador
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AUGUST 15, 2019 2 Ram Nath Kovind Narendra Modi Independence Day Greetings President of India Prime Minister of India Message of the Ambassador n the occasion of the 73rd Independence The multi-faceted bilateral relationship be- music concerts, painting, calligraphy and pho- Day of India, I am happy to extend my tween India and Qatar continues to strengthen tography exhibitions, etc. We have more events greetings and felicitations to all my fel- further in various areas of our engagement, lined up for the rest of the year. Olow citizens residing in the State of Qatar. including political, energy, trade & investment, Independence Day is a solemn occasion when I also avail this opportunity to express my sincere security and defence and cultural spheres. This we recall with a profound sense of respect and rev- thanks and appreciation to the Amir of Qatar His year is particularly special, as we are celebrating erence the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and it as the India-Qatar Year of Culture. With the to liberate our country from the yoke of colonialism. the Government of the State of Qatar for their active support and cooperation of the Qatari It is also the time for us to take stock of our achieve- continued support and cooperation, and to the authorities, we have so far been able to organize ments in these 72 years and to rededicate ourselves hospitality and patronage extended to the Indian some memorable cultural events focusing on to the cause of the continued development of our P.PK Kumaran expatriate community in Qatar. popular Indian culture like dance performances, nation. `P4 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dr. Khalid Mubarak Al-Shafi ACTING MANAGING EDITOR DESIGN SUPPLEMENT COORDINATOR Mohammed Salim Mohamed Abraham Augusthy Muhammad Shammas 4 Today, India has firmly established itself as the world’s larg- 64.4 billion during the fiscal year 2018-19. of great significance in further deepening the bilateral ties be- est democracy as a result of the strong foundation laid by our I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Indian tween the two nations. The establishment of a regional office founding fathers, who framed a stable constitution and built community in Qatar for their continued good work, which has by Qatar Tourism Authority in Mumbai has further increased the strong democratic institutions. We recently witnessed the festival earned for them a well-deserved reputation in Qatar for their scope for promoting tourism between the two countries. India of democracy in India - the general elections - in which over 600 sincerity, hard work, technical expertise and law-abiding nature. is a popular tourist and wellness destination amongst Qatari million people exercised their franchise and overwhelmingly As the Ambassador of India to Qatar, I am filled with pride when I nationals, given the cultural compatibility and historical contacts opted for a stable government. hear from various Qatari dignitaries about the valuable contribu- between the two countries. Qatar has emerged as a popular India has come a long way since its independence on 15 August tions made by the Indian community towards the growth and destination for Indian weddings, taking advantage of the visa-on- 1947. We have achieved self-sufficiency in food production and today development of Qatar over the years. Today, India’s fast-paced arrival facility and the excellent infrastructure offered by Qatar’s export various food grains to other countries. We are the largest growth, technological achievements, business-friendly envi- hospitality sector. We look forward to enhanced contacts and producers of fresh fruits, milk and pulses. India is a recognized military ronment, skilled workforce and a vast consumer market, offer connectivity between our peoples in the coming years. power in the world today. The Indian Space Research Organization Qatar a unique opportunity to be a partner in India’s growth and Defence ties between India and Qatar continue to prosper. (ISRO) has been successful in developing a highly acclaimed, low- development story. India looks forward to greater Qatari invest- The year 2018-19 saw a number of bilateral visits. INS Kolkata in cost and efficient space program in the world. The recent successful ments, with investments of more than US$ 1.5 trillion planned in March 2018, INS Mumbai in September 2018 and INS Tarangini launch of Chandrayaan II, a fully indigenous mission, has put India in infrastructure and other areas over the next two decades, mak- in December 2018 have visited Hamad port. The Chief of Qatar’s the elite club of nations having highly advanced space programmes. ing it one of the most attractive long-term markets for leading Emiri Naval Force led a delegation to India in April 2019 and In economic terms, India has emerged as the fastest growing investors. These factors are reflected in the impressive gains held meetings with his counterparts in India. We look forward major economy in the world. It is the 6th largest economy globally made by India in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business index, to enhancing our bilateral engagement in maritime and naval and is expected to grow at 7% during 2019-20. In the recently Global Competitiveness Index by the World Economic Forum, cooperation, training, joint production and other areas. released Union Budget 2019, the government aims to achieve and several other international reports which rank India as a The Indian Embassy remains committed to promoting the 8% annual GDP growth to become a US$ 5 trillion economy and best performer in South Asia for structural reforms undertaken interests of the Indian community in Qatar. The Embassy shall the world’s 3rd largest economy. Infrastructure is one of the key in infrastructure, financial market development, innovation and continue its efforts to expand its outreach to various sections sectors to realize this growth objective and the government has market size, among others. of the Indian community and remain in close contact with the thus accorded high importance to infrastructure projects in the India attaches great importance to its multifaceted relations authorities concerned in Qatar, to ensure the welfare and wellbe- budget. Initiatives like Bharatmala Pariyojana to develop road with the State of Qatar. India is the 3rd largest export destination for ing of Indian nationals. On this 73rd Independence Day, I once infrastructure; and the Jal Marg Vikas project and Sagarmala Qatar. Total bilateral trade reached US$ 12.3 billion during 2018-19. again extend my warm greetings to my fellow Indians in Qatar initiative to improve logistics with well-connected waterways Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to India, accounting for 55% of and thank them for their valuable contribution to the growth would boost connectivity and trade. The government is commit- India’s global LNG imports and 15% of Qatar’s total export of LNG. We and development of Qatar and India. I am confident that the ted to achieving inclusive growth through affordable, reliable and look forward to enhanced cooperation in the energy sector, as India Indian community will continue to extend its full cooperation sustainable energy. India now stands 4th in wind power, 5th in seeks to enhance the share of natural gas in its energy mix in the next and support, as in the past, to the Embassy. solar power, and 5th in renewable capacity globally. The share decade. Though largely dominated by hydrocarbons, there are plenty of renewable energy in total power generation also rose from of opportunities to diversify our trade basket. Indian companies P. Kumaran 6% in 2014-15 to 10% in 2018-19. India plans to increase the operating in Qatar are pursuing mutually-beneficial collaborations in share of natural gas in India’s energy mix, currently at about infrastructure, information and communication technology, energy 7%, to 20% by 2030. and other areas in Qatar, contributing to Qatar’s preparedness for India holds the position of the third largest start-up eco- hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022. India’s successful experience in system in the world and is expected to have 100,000 start-ups the fintech space offers several avenues of cooperation for Qatar. India by 2025, worth $500bn, which will create employment for 3.25 Stack, which offers 4 distinct technology layers based on presenceless, million people. A robust start-up ecosystem has been put in cashless, paperless and consent, has enabled world-class products place through a 19-point Action Plan which includes setting up being built on open Application Programming Interface (API) based several incubation centers, easier patent filing, tax exemptions, public platforms like BHIM, Rupay, and Paytm. ease of setting up business, a Rs100bn corpus fund, a faster exit Official bilateral interactions continue at a regular pace to mechanism, etc. The rural economy has received a major boost boost mutually beneficial co-operation between the two coun- with the government’s focus on agro-rural industries through the tries. We had the first-ever visit of our External Affairs Minister to cluster-based SFURTI programme. Special focus is being provided Doha in October 2018, during which extensive deliberations on for the development of bamboo, honey, and khadi clusters. 100 the state of our bilateral relations were held with the leadership new clusters are being set up to enable 50,000 artisans during of Qatar. The two countries also held the 3rd round of Foreign 2019-2020. There are concerted efforts to revitalize the Micro, Office Consultations in September 2018 in which T S Tirumurthi, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) by reorienting policies Secretary (ER), visited Doha and held extensive discussions to create more employment avenues, enhance productivity and with his Qatari counterpart H E Dr.