PM Modi to visit Germany, Spain, Russia from May 29
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a three-nation tour of Germany, Spain and Russia from May 29 with an aim of consolidating the relations with these countries and invite investments to India. The visit to Germany and Spain will be bilateral in nature while the trip to St Petersburg in Russia is in connection with the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to be held from June 1-3, sources said on Wednesday.
The SPIEF, which will be attended by thousands of business leaders from across the globe, will provide Modi an opportunity to invite invest- ments in India.
On the sidelines of the SPIEF, the Prime Minister is expected to have talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to review the state of bilateral relations and ways to push the ties further, the sources said. Matters related to trade and investment, defence and nuclear cooperation are expected to figure in the talks.
India and Russia are currently in talks over finalisation of the General Framework Agreement (GFA) for units 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu but it is not clear yet whether it would be signed during the visit.
In Germany, the first stop- over of the five-day threenation tour, the Prime Minister will hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel and discuss ways to take the Strategic Relations to the next level by mainly enhancing the business ties.
This will be his second visit to Germany in two years.
Earlier, he had paid an official visit to the country in April 2015 when India was the ‘Partner Country’ in the annual Hannover Fair. Merkel had subsequently visited India in October in the same year.
On May 31, the Prime Minister will be in Spain where his focus will be on seeking cooperation in sectors like infrastructure and energy, the sources said. NEW DELHI: Air travellers have voiced concerns over what they call lopsided measures in the no-fly list for unruly passengers and demanded airlines should also be held equally accountable for misbehaviour of their crew.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation earlier this month released draft rules on a “national no-fly list” for unruly passengers for all domestic carriers.
It proposes a flying-ban for a minimum period of three months and a maximum duration which can extend indefinitely.
The draft has been placed in the public domain for 30 days inviting comments and feedback from stakeholders. The government will come out with final amendments by June 30.
“There have been a lot of feedback and concern from the public that while there are penal actions recommended against unruly passengers, how will misbehaviour on the part of airlines be dealt with,” said a senior ministry official.
The draft was released on May 5 and comments have been invited until June 4. The ministry has so far received 25 responses from various stakeholders.
The official said the government’s intention is to have a balance, but added that those who gave feedback felt the draft rules were “tilted towards airlines”.
The proposed no-fly list will compile data on ‘disruptive’ passengers from all airlines. In case an airline imposes a flyban on a passenger, other airlines can independently decide whether to allow him or her.
The government has recommended three levels of unruly behaviours- each entailing a corresponding duration for flying ban.
The first level of misdemeanor, which includes verbal harassment or physical gesture, carries a flying ban of three months. The second level comprises physically abusive behaviour and will carry a ban of six months.
The third category consists of life-threatening behaviour such as damage to aircraft operating system, murderous assault and attempted breach of flight crew compartment and will carry a flying ban of two years or more without limit.
A passenger can challenge the ban before an appeals committee which is to be constituted by the ministry of civil aviation.
The demand for a ‘no-fly’ list was made by several airlines after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad assaulted an Air India staffer in March.