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India Gazette
07-07-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Vietnam-India trade reaches USD 15 billion, Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai eyes further cooperation
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 7 (ANI): Vietnam's Ambassador to India, Nguyen Thanh Hai, highlighted the strong cooperation between Vietnam and India, citing the growing trade, with targeting trade value of USD 15 billion. and investment between the two countries. Speaking to ANI, Hai stated, 'Currently, we have seen fine development in our trade and investment cooperation.' He further attributed the success to the strong political cooperation, traditional friendship, and stated, 'One of the advantages of cooperation between our countries is that we have strong political cooperation, traditional friendship, and the comprehensive and strategic partnership between our countries is developing well.' 'With that development, trade and investment have been growing well over the last few years. The potential is huge. We are working with the government agencies of India and in this visit, I had a conversation with Bharat Chamber of Commerce in West Bengal about ways to promote trade, investment, and cooperation even further,' he added. The envoy expressed optimism about the future of the Vietnam-India partnership, saying, 'We are committed and optimistic about the potential and the future of the Vietnam-India partnership.' 'Right now, we have a trade target of USD 15 billion,' he said. As Vietnam continues to strengthen its ties with India, the country is also expanding its presence on the global stage. Brazil's Foreign Ministry has announced that Vietnam has officially joined BRICS as a partner country. This addition was announced in June 2025, with Vietnam becoming the tenth partner country. Earlier, Leaders of the BRICS nations welcomed Indonesia as a member of the group, while 10 nations, including Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Cuba, Vietnam, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, as partner countries. Vietnam becomes the tenth BRICS partner country, alongside Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan. The partner-country category was established at the XVI BRICS Summit, in Kazan, in October 2024, as per the BRICS official statement. The joint declaration of the 17th BRICS Summit in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro on Sunday stated, 'We welcome the Indonesia as a BRICS member, as well as the Belarus, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, the Kazakhstan, the Cuba, the Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, the Vietnam, the Uganda, and the Uzbekistan as BRICS partner countries.' PM Modi is also in BRICS Summit, where he met with Brazil president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and thanked him for his warm hospitality and the successful organisation of the Summit. During the BRICS session 'Peace and Security and Reform of Global Governance' on Sunday, PM Modi stated that the expansion of BRICS and the inclusion of new partners demonstrates its ability to evolve with times and called for reforming institutions like the United Nations Security Council, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Multilateral Developments. The 17th BRICS Summit being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 6-7 July 2025, a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said. (ANI)
The Hindu
04-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Bengal plans 800-km ‘green wall' along Jharkhand border
In an ambitious move to combat pollution, Kalyan Rudra, Chairman of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, announced a project to create an 800-km 'bioshield' — a forested area that would act as a 'Green Wall' — along the Jharkhand border to intercept pollutants entering Bengal. He also highlighted Kolkata's recent recognition as one of the country's cleanest metropolises. The announcements came at a special session, 'Fostering Climate Consciousness — Business and Beyond', hosted by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce on the eve of World Environment Day. The Green Wall will be a green corridor of forest cover along the State's 800-km northwestern border with Jharkhand. The bioshield will start from the Jharkhand border and extend up to Birbhum and Dinajpur districts of West Bengal. The trees will take over a decade to grow. 'We are proceeding in phases,' Mr. Rudra said. 'It will intercept a part of these pollutants entering Bengal. It will take about a decade to grow, but when fully grown... people who go to see the Chinese wall will come to Bengal to see a green wall that we have been able to create.' He also encouraged businesses to participate in this plan. The proposed bioshield, Mr. Rudra said, is part of a larger effort to reduce in-situ pollution and mobilise industry participation in sustainable practices. The panel also underscored Kolkata's recent achievement of being recognised as one of the cleanest metropolises in the country, a result of collaboration between the pollution control board and Kolkata Municipal Corporation. However, Mr. Rudra also recognised that winters in Bengal are marked by heavy air pollution, unlike the relatively clean air during the summer and monsoon seasons. The session on the eve of World Environment Day brought together multiple experts on pollution to emphasise the need for on-ground action and the urgency to implement change beyond symbolic gestures. Swati Nandi Chakraborty, environment consultant, drew attention to the hazards of plastic pollution and the need for bioplastics as a viable, sustainable alternative to combat the rising issue of microplastics and nanoplastics, which are known to impact humans and animals alike. 'We have hardly heard about bioplastics,' she said. 'But they could work hand-in-hand to create a techno-socio-economic response to plastic waste.' Citing the harmful health effects of microplastics, from respiratory issues to gastrointestinal damage, Dr. Nandi called for strict local implementation of plastic regulations and mass advocacy for sustainable materials, including awareness programmes. She also insisted that policy-level changes can help bring about a bigger impact on pollution levels and plastic usage. Aniruddha Mukhopadhyay, Professor in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Calcutta, highlighted that behaviour change requires community level engagement, especially from students to bring about bigger impact and long-term change. 'New pollution-control technologies are being implemented that are being monitored by regulatory agencies. Regulatory agencies are doing very well in that direction and many more things can be done, and there is a genuine consciousness amongst the common people that it is very important,' Mr Mukhopadhyay said. The experts reiterated that the business community has a pivotal role to play, saying climate conscious business in the contemporary world is crucial for sustainable growth. But the experts also stated that real climate consciousness must extend 'beyond boardrooms' into homes, schools, and streets. As Mr. Rudra reminded, 'No pollution control board or chamber can achieve success alone. It should be a people's movement where every citizen comes forward.'
