Jaishankar discusses Afghanistan crisis with Saudi foreign minister
NEW DELHI: The developments in Afghanistan and other regional issues figured in discussions on Sunday between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his visiting Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud.
Prince Faisal is the first Saudi minister to visit India since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year. “Very useful exchange of views on Afghanistan, the Gulf and the Indo-Pacific,” Jaishankar said in a tweet after the meeting. He added that he and Prince Faisal discussed “cooperation in the political, security and socio-cultural pillars of our strategic partnership”.
India has urged the world community not to rush into recognising the Taliban setup in Kabul, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointing out last week that the new regime in Afghanistan is not inclusive and formed without negotiations.
The external affairs ministry said in a statement that the two ministers also discussed all issues related to bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Jaishankar tweeted that he had urged Prince Faisal for the “early resumption of direct flights to Saudi Arabia”, and that the two sides had agreed to “work closely on all Covid-related challenges, including to travel”.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the previous governments did nothing for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes. He also said these regimes ignored the memorials of great men (icons) who became the voice of the SC community.
On the other hand, his government was renovating and beautifying memorials dedicated to such icons in UP, he said. Adityanath was speaking as the chief guest at the concluding session of the national executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Scheduled Caste (SC) Morcha in Varanasi.
Had the previous regimes done something for the SCs, STs and the backward classes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not have had to launch the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014, Yogi Adityanath said.
He also said due to the Swachh Bharat Mission, toilets were built in the homes of 10 crore people in the country and 95% of the beneficiaries belonged to the SCs, STs and Backward Classes. A total of 2. 61 crore people were given toilets in Uttar Pradesh, he said.
Yogi also said the Swachh Bharat Mission brought unprecedented improvement, adding that it changed the lives of people and India’s image in the world.
Mentioning various schemes started by the Central government, Yogi said that houses were given to 2.5 crore people under the PM Awas Yojana in the country. In Uttar Pradesh, 42 lakh people were given houses after 2017, he said, adding that free ration was being given to 80 crore people in the country.
Besides, 50 crore people benefitted from the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme through which a poor person can get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh, he said.
Stating that free ration was being given to 15 crore people in Uttar Pradesh now, Yogi said during the Samajwadi Party rule, hunger deaths were reported from Sonbhadra, Kushinagar and Chitrakoot districts.
After coming to power in 2017, an investigation was done and it came to light the people who were actually eligible were not getting the benefit of the ration card, the chief minister said. Someone else was taking ration in their name and 40 lakh such ration cards were detected and action was taken, he added.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, no one was allowed to die of hunger as arrangements for free ration were ensured for all, he said. Yogi said the memorials associated with icons of the scheduled caste community were being renovated and beautified so that the future generations may take inspiration from their works.
He said the beautification and development of Sant Ravidas temple at Seer Govardhan in Varanasi was being done and the Uttar Pradesh government was building a memorial to Maharaja Suheldev in Bahraich.
He said people who were in power earlier should be asked as to why this work was not done earlier.