FORTY YEARS AGO

BORDER VIOLENCE

THE GOVERNMENT OF India lodged a strong protest with the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi following unprovoked shooting at the Border Security Force patrols in Meghalaya. There were two shooting incidents. In the second incident, a BSF patrol party, which included Director General of BSF Ashwani Kumar, was fired upon. A member of the party was seriously injured and had to be evacuate to hospital. On both occasions, the patrols were fired upon from across the border when they were well within Indian territory. New Delhi called it a “serious incident”.

INDIRA ON CHINA

PRIME MINISTER INDIRA GANDHI said that resumption of diplomatic ties with China was a step towards normalisation of Sinoindian relations. In a brief talk with newsmen in Shimla, Mrs Gandhi, who was “feeling very relaxed’’, said her letter to the Pakistan Prime Minister Z.A. Bhutto, was in reply to his letter. Asked if diplomatic ties with Pakistan would be resumed at the ambassadorial level, she remarked was no harm in carrying on the discussions.

US FOOD AID

THE RESUMPTION OF long-time American food credit to India may open the way for the resumption of US aid to India. A $60million item was budgeted for India in the next year’s foreign aid appropriations sent by the Ford administration to the US Congress in February.

ONGC EXPLORATION

THE OIL AND Natural Gas Commission will soon start exploration for oil and natural gas at Jawalamukhi and the Deccan trap in Saurashtra and Kutch. Union Petroleum Minister K.D. Malaviya said the decision to explore Jawalamukhi again was taken on the basis of sound geological data in Delhi. The first discovery of natural gas by the ONGC was at Jawalamukhi.