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EU
Keen On Free Trade Pact With India
BRITISH
ENTREPRENEUR NATHU PURI HONOURED WITH DOCTORATE DEGREE
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New
Delhi 11 December: Expressing doubt over WTO talks making
headway in the near future, Austria has asked India to speed up free
trade agreement with the European Union to enlarge markets for
European and Indian business.
Austrian
Minister for Commerce and Labour Martin Bartenstein held talks with
Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath on a host of bilateral and
multilateral issues, including progress on the India-EU Free Trade
Agreement and Doha Round of negotiations for a global trade deal.
“Pascal
Lamy (WTO Director General) thinks modalities for the Doha Round
could be finished by February/March next...We had similar target for
the Hong Kong Ministerial meeting (in December 2005),” Bartenstein
said at a joint media briefing with Nath.
Both
Nath and Bartenstein emphasised the timeline of 2008 end for
completion of negotiations on India-EU FTA, officially known as
Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement.
The
Austrian minister said the EU was working on a ‘Bluecard’ scheme
on the lines of the US ‘Greencard’ for expatriates. “Under the
Bluecard scheme, there would be a uniform regime for all 27 EU
members,” he said adding that Austria and other EU members were
keen on leveraging Indian human resource.
While
Nath discussed WTO issues with the visiting Austrian minister, he
lambasted US Trade Representative Susan Schwab on her recent remarks
about India and Brazil.
Schwab
had described the two developing countries as “teenage drivers”
unwilling to take up responsibility.
“I
do not know about drivers and vehicles. You may be driving big
horsepower car ...But you must also know the destination,” he
said.
[Source:
The Hindu]
BRITISH
ENTREPRENEUR NATHU PURI HONOURED WITH DOCTORATE DEGREE
London
South Bank University has honoured British Indian industrialist
and philanthropist, Prof Nathu Puri with a doctorate degree in
engineering. Prof Deian Hopkin, Vice Chancellor of the University
described Puri as "a successful industrialist and
entrepreneur, renowned philanthropist and devoted supporter of
education - not to mention Indian cricket".
"It is a great honour for me. Coming here in 1966 with very
few resources, I could have never dreamt of this day," Puri
said after receiving the degree.
The doctorate was conferred on Puri, an alumni of the University,
in the presence of Lord and Lady Navnit Dholakia, Rt Hon Kenneth
Clarke QC MP and Home Office Minister, Vernon Coaker MP.
Hailing from Punjab, Puri came to the UK in 1966 to study Air
Conditioning. Last year Prof Puri was given the inaugural Hindu
Forum of Britain Award for Excellence in Community Service.
[Source:
GOPIO]
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