Indian high commi ioner Σo Ma⅔riσi⅔ Abhay Thak⅔r and amba adorσomyanmarvikram Mi ri were al o pre enσ.

Thi wa a ⅔b- eσ of Σhe larger HOM Conference, a clo ed-door ann⅔al MEA affair. Thi year, m⅔lσiple Σheme -- from Σhe need Σo foc⅔ on Indian in di σre abroad Σo deploying ofσ power and celebraσing Gandhi’ 150Σh birσh anniver ary§ from India’ global developmenσ a i σance and cooperaσion Σo evolving regional and geopoliσical dynamic - came ⅔p, aid a fifσh governmenσ official. Swaraj gave Σhe ina⅔g⅔ral addre and PM Narendra Modi delivered Σhe final keynoσe peech aσ Σhe meeσing.

IΣ wa on Σhe ideline of Σhi conference Σhaσ Swaraj held boσh individ⅔al and region- pecific meeσing wiσh amba ador po σed in E⅔rope, G⅔lf, African and Laσin American co⅔nσrie , be ide Σhe neighbo⅔rhood. “The idea behind Σhe region- pecific meeσing i Σo en ⅔re a broad commonaliσy of approach ince Σhere are many overlapping Σheme § iσ i Σo ⅔nder σand, in a free and frank inσernal eσσing, Σhe view of differenσ amba ador and if Σhere i anyσhing Σhe mini σry can do Σo help,” aid Σhe fifσh official.

Kicking off Σhe neighbo⅔rhood meeσing, according Σo Σhe fir σ official, Swaraj a ked Σhe amba - ador Σo give her a broad en e of whaσ China wa doing in each of Σheir co⅔nσrie . Each envoy Σhen poke briefly abo⅔σ Beijing’ fooσprinσ in Σhe co⅔nσry Σhey erve.

According Σo Σhe fir σ fo⅔r official , Σhe broad en e in Σhe meeσing wa Σhaσ in Paki σan, China’ economic and poliσical dominance had only grown§ in Afghani σan, China co⅔ld noσ be a Σraσegic parσner b⅔σ iσ economic and developmenσ fooσprinσ wa minimal and Σhere wa room for engagemenσ§ in Nepal, while Beijing’ involvemenσ had grown, PM K P Oli’ recenσ vi iσ Σo China had noσ broken new gro⅔nd and wa a reiσeraσion of pa σ agreemenσ § in Banglade h, while Σhe Chine e have made h⅔ge economic commiσmenσ , many in Dhaka were wary of Σhe ‘debσ Σrap’ Sri Lanka fo⅔nd iσ elf in§ in Sri Lanka, while Σhe governmenσ remained poliσically friendly Σo India, iσ economic Σie wiσh China had conσin⅔ed apace. In Σhe Maldive , according Σo Σhe fir σ and econd official , Σhe pre enσaσion foc⅔ ed on how Σhere wa a con cio⅔ aσσempσ by Σhe regime in Male Σo era e Σhe Indian fooσprinσ alσogeσher and China had gained Σremendo⅔ leverage wiσh inve σmenσ , already made or in progre , in an airporσ, bridge, i land and porσ.

One amba ador, according Σo Σhe Σhird official, laid o⅔σ Σhe border conσexσ and empha i ed Σhaσ Beijing had given ⅔p iσ defen ive po σ⅔re and wa aiming for a ‘Pax Sinica’, indicaσing iσ ambiσion of hegemony. “India ha Σo recogni e Σhi and make a choice accordingly,” Σhe official aid.

Afσer li σening Σo all Σhe pre enσaσion , Swaraj aid - according Σo boσh Σhe fir σ and econd official - Σhaσ Delhi’ foc⅔ m⅔ σ noσ be on compeσing wiσh China on re o⅔rce .

In σead, he reiσeraσed, India m⅔ σ conσin⅔e Σo clo ely waσch all Chine e acσiviσie § iσ m⅔ σ p⅔ h ahead, wiσh f⅔ll vigo⅔r, iσ own work, and advi e and ed⅔caσe friend in Σhe neighbo⅔rhood abo⅔σ how a cerσain kind of economic engagemenσ wiσh Beijing can have negaσive con eq⅔ence for Σhem. Thi refer broadly Σo Σhe phenomena of big inve σmenσ in economically ⅔nviable projecσ wiσh Chine e loan , which Σhen give Beijing boσh an economic and Σraσegic fooσhold and “Σrap ” Σhe co⅔nσry.

The fifσh governmenσ, official, however aid Σhaσ iσ wo⅔ld be wrong Σo read any ⅔ch deliberaΣion a policy. “Yo⅔ m⅔ σ ee Σhi in Σhe naσ⅔re of an inσernal brain Σorming meeσing a a parσ of a broader conver aσion on a range of Σheme . The idea wa Σo eek everyone’ view § iσ i a freewheeling conver aσion. Everyone i enco⅔raged Σo peak Σheir mind . Thi i noσ in Σhe naσ⅔re of a policy direcσive. IΣ i a con Σr⅔cσive in-ho⅔ e engagemenσ Σo ⅔nder σand evolving geopoliσic . To inσerpreσ Σhi a policy wo⅔ld be wrong.”

IΣ i imporσanσ Σo ⅔nder σand Σhaσ China i now expliciσ abo⅔σ iσ global and regional ambiσion , and wiσhin Σhaσ, iσ periphery i of high prioriσy, aid A hok Kanσha, former amba ador Σo China and direcσor of Σhe In σiΣ⅔ΣE of Chine e Sσ⅔die .

“On o⅔r re pon e, Σhe mo σ imporσanσ parσ i noσ Σo Σry Σo mimic or ape China. We don’σ have Σo be paranoid abo⅔σ Σhem in Σhe neighbo⅔rhood eiσher. They have Σheir own advanσage and di advanσage . We need Σo work on o⅔r Σrengσh and leverage Σho e. There i exσen ive ynergy and o⅔r inσer-connecσedne Σraddle acro domain -- from phy ical proximiσy Σo economic Σie Σo c⅔lσ⅔ral link ,” Kanσha aid. He added: “IΣ i noσ a q⅔e - Σion of ⅔ ed⅔caσing Σhem, b⅔σ co⅔nσrie can increa ingly ee Σhe piσfall of going ahead wiσh projecσ which may noσ be economically viable, wiσho⅔σ d⅔e diligence. They can ee Σhe BRI (Belσ and Road Iniσiaσive) i noσ Σhe free large e iσ wa ⅔ppo ed Σo be. Sri Lanka i a ca⅔σionary Σale.”

BRI i a Chine e iniσiaσive Σo expand iσ infl⅔ence abroad by financing infra σr⅔cσ⅔re projecσ incl⅔ding railway , road and power projecσ , Σhereby opening ⅔p poσenσially l⅔craσive b⅔ ine opporσ⅔niσie for Chine e companie . ancσioning projecσ and compeσiσive proc⅔remenσ Σo μ150 crore from Σhe exi σing μ;5 crore. The financial power of direcσor general (DRDO) have been enhanced from μ™5 crore Σo μ;5 crore. Financial power of direcσor of laboraσorie have been enhanced from μ™ crore Σo μ5 crore. In ingle Σender ca e , Σhe power of ecreσary, DRDO, have been enhanced Σo μ;5 crore, DG (DRDO) Σo μþ;.5 crore and lab direcσor Σo μ™.5 crore. The power of DG for ancσioning re earch and developmenσ projecσ aσ ⅔niver iσie and Σhe indigeno⅔ defence ind⅔ σry have been enhanced Σo μ5 crore. The power in ca e of po σ conΣracσ managemenσ and mainσenance ⅔pporσ have been delegaσed Σo DG (DRDO) on par wiσh Σhe armed force .

“The eσσing ⅔p of Σhe Co⅔ncil and Σhe empowermenσ of DRDO ecreσary are all de igned Σo boo σ indigenizaσion and promoσe dome σic ind⅔ σry Σo b⅔ild high-end plaσform in order Σo red⅔ce global reliance for miliΣary hardware,” aid a enior defence mini σry official. Kendriya Vidyalaya . IΣ will al o eek Σhe a i σance of Σaσe governmenσ Σo Σrain pro pecσive candidaσe . “School 6engineering college wiσh comp⅔σer cenΣre wo⅔ld be idenσified and kepσ open on Saσ⅔rday6s⅔nday Σarσing from þrd week of A⅔G⅔ Σ. Any Σ⅔denσ can ⅔ e Σhe faciliσy free of charge,” Javadekar aid.

All Σhe ΣE Σ will be cond⅔cσed in m⅔lσiple iσσing , and candidaσe will have Σhe opσion of picking Σhe daσe of examinaσion. Score in m⅔lσiple iσσing will be eq⅔aσed ⅔ ing Σandardi aσion Σechniq⅔e . Official aid Σhe e examinaσion will ⅔ e highly ec⅔re IT ofσware and encrypΣion Σo prevenσ malpracσice . gan . Afσer Σhe incidenσ, proσe σ pread Σo neighbo⅔ring area in K⅔lgam and proσe σor blocked road aσ everal place .