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Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC orders inquiry in selection of clerks done by HSSC
The Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) has ordered a fact-finding inquiry by the registrar (vigilance) of the court into the selection of lower division clerks (LDCs) conducted by Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) for power distribution company, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam. Directing the HSSC and power distribution companies to produce the selection record by July 11, the court said that the registrar (vigilance) is requested to examine the entire records relating to the selection of LDCs of 2016 and to submit a report within two weeks. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Justice Harkesh Manuja of the HC in his July 7 order said the conduct of HSSC and power distribution companies in this selection process required at least a preliminary fact-finding inquiry to trace out the truth. Directing the HSSC and power distribution companies to produce the selection record by July 11, the court said that the registrar (vigilance) is requested to examine the entire records relating to the selection of LDCs of 2016 and to submit a report within two weeks. The bench said these directions were necessary and essential to maintain the sanctity and purity of the selection process besides maintaining and upholding the hope of the selected candidates towards their constitutional rights, who have been deprived of joining on the posts of LDC. 'To make the situation worse, the aforementioned 190 posts (approximately) have even been re-advertised and re-filled to the disadvantage of earlier selected/ recommended candidates without even offering them effective opportunity to join at their respective posts,'' the bench said. Counsel of the petitioners, Sachin Jain said that the HC bench has also requested the registrar (vigilance) to look into whether HSSC and power distribution companies have any written set of rules, guidelines or policy with respect to calling upon the selected or recommended candidates for offering them appointment. 'What were the reasons with HSSC to serve around 240 selected/ recommended candidates through personal messenger for offering them the appointment and for another set of 190 selected/ recommended candidates by serving them through registered post and why no uniform mode and method was adopted by HSSC for intimating all the selected/ recommended candidates for offering them appointment,'' the bench said. Jain said that though the petitioners had withdrawn the petition as they were assured of their joining as LDCs in DHBVN, the HC noted that the act and conduct of the officials of HSSC and power distribution companies needs to be probed by an independent agency in light of facts and circumstances of the present case. The HSSC had in 2016 advertised 946 posts of LDC on a requisition by the two power distribution companies, the DHBVN (478 posts) and UHBVN (486 posts). The result was declared in 2019 and around 419 candidates were selected and recommended initially for appointment as LDC with DHBVN. Later another set of 71 candidates were recommended for appointment in DHBVN by the HSSC. Around 240 selected candidates were informed about their selection and recommendation through personal messengers whereas around 190 candidates out of the same selection and recommendation list were informed through registered post. During the course of hearing, some of the receipts issued by the postal department against communication served upon the selected candidates were randomly verified on the online Indian postal service portal. However, no records were found on the official website of the Indian Postal Service qua those receipts. 'DHBVN managing director Ashok Garg was even called upon to apprise the court about the standard procedure or any written guidelines issued by the state government or the department with respect to service or intimation to the selected/ recommended candidates for calling them for document verification and joining. However, the officer could not refer to any such guidelines. He was even called upon to explain as to why around 240 selected/ recommended candidates were informed through personal messenger for the purposes of verification of their documents and their joining whereas other 190 selected/ recommended candidates were sought to be served through registered post. Yet again, the officer failed to explain,'' the HC said. 'The conduct of HSSC and power distribution companies about unfairness at their hands while treating the selected candidates with discrimination is beyond comprehension and the same does not pass the key test of reasonableness, especially under the given facts and circumstances wherein out of 240 selected/ recommended candidates informed by HSSC through personal messenger, 220 joined the department. Whereas out of 190 those who were allegedly served through registered post, merely 20 came forward to join the services. This fact itself raises a strong suspicion about the selective manner in which the recommended candidates were approached by HSSC for the purposes of offering them appointment, having adopted different modes of communication with respect to separate sets of candidates,'' the court said.
Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Navigating a tricky new era for Brics
The 17th summit of the Brics group of emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, offered insights into an institution undergoing profound changes amid an extremely disorderly and unsettling international situation. In form and shape, Brics is a transformed entity today. With the admission of Indonesia this year as a full member, Brics has morphed from a minilateral club of five nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — into a medium-sized multilateral entity with broader representation. The admission of Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates inside the tent, and the presence of 10 more partner countries including Nigeria and Vietnam, which are apparently waiting in the wings to also come in, mean that the Brics family has multiplied and is embarking on a second innings since it was first founded in 2009. Counting full members and partner countries together, Brics has 20 nations under its ambit, as if it were a parallel G20 comprising only EMDCs. It is in recognition of this expanded reality that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for redefining the very acronym Brics so as not to indicate the initials of the names of the five core members but to convey a shared functional purpose of 'Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability'. The present-day Brics has more collective heft and legitimacy than before as a powerful block of EMDCs which is doubling down on the twin goals of advancing multilateralism and multipolarity. With the strength of numbers lending greater self-confidence and bringing more issue areas under its ambit, the Brics we saw in Rio appeared bolder in critiquing and opposing unilateral actions and coercive measures ranging from trade tariffs and economic sanctions by the US, to military attacks and violations of international law by Israel against Iran and the Palestinians. Although Brics did not make massive headway on the longstanding push by China and Russia for creating an alternative global currency for de-dollarisation of the international financial system, the united front it put up at Rio against US President Donald Trump's trade wars and its emphatic call for multilateral solutions through consultation and inclusion of EMDCs and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), did get Trump's goat. His threat to impose additional trade tariffs on countries 'aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS' was timed as a pre-emptive strike to rattle leaders at the Rio summit. As many Brics members are bilaterally negotiating with the US to ease Trump's wave of tariffs, a dual game is underway. On the one hand, Brics as a whole is denouncing American trade protectionism and seeking to boost intra-Brics trade and investment flows. On the other, the bloc members are responding to Trump's warnings by professing that they are not seeking confrontation with the US and that Brics 'will never be directed against any third countries.' In light of Trump's attempted forcible shift in the modalities of the international system to bilateralism, Brics is rallying around the principle of multilateralism. But in practice, individual Brics countries are pragmatic and are seeking to pacify the US on a one-on-one basis to preserve their respective economic interests. It will be a tricky balancing act and will place limits on Brics becoming overtly anti-American or anti-western. India, in particular, has been wary of turning Brics into an ideological crusade against western imperialism. However, this does not mean India is status quoist and happy with the western-dominated global institutional architecture. At Rio, Modi presented the Global South as a 'victim of double standards' on developmental and security matters and likened international institutions lacking adequate representation of poor nations to 'a mobile with a SIM card but no network.' He even cited the expansion of Brics as an inspiration for implementing long overdue reforms in the United Nations and the Bretton Woods bodies. Lobbying to mainstream the concerns and interests of the Global South is only going to increase as Brics expands and draws in more countries into its circle. The Global South is being put at the forefront of Brics not merely for rhetorical reasons but because it is the common denominator on which each and every Brics member will unhesitatingly concur. Still, in spite of the clear signs of unity and consensus as reflected in the Rio Declaration of Brics, internal strains and divisions persist as the institution steps into a new era. The competition and rivalry between India and China is the central geopolitical fault line of Brics and will stay that way. Modi shot two unmistakable arrows at China in Rio. His call that no country should use critical minerals 'solely for its own interests or as a weapon' was aimed at China's hardball tactics of imposing export restraints on rare-earth metals which have caused panic among businesses worldwide. He also slammed the strategy of 'giving silent consent to terrorism for personal or political gain', a dig at China's unrelenting support and shelter to Pakistan. While the Rio Declaration avoided logjam on countering terrorism, unlike what happened at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qingdao, China, the reinforced perception of Beijing as a stumbling block to New Delhi's rise means that this factor will inevitably impact intra-Brics politics and internal balancing within the expanded grouping. It is fair to conclude that Brics has grown more relevant in world affairs as a result of its expansion. But its new avatar will be acutely tested, pulled and hauled in different directions during a period of global uncertainty and widening conflicts. Whether a brave new Brics has arrived to fundamentally and rapidly reorder the world remains to be seen. Sreeram Chaulia is dean, Jindal School of International Affairs. The views expressed are personal.
The Star
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Cambodia urges U.S. to further lower tariffs
PHNOM PENH, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday called on the United States to further lower tariffs it has imposed on Cambodian products exported to the U.S. market. The United States on Monday revised tariffs on Cambodian exports to 36 percent, taking effect on Aug. 1. The new tariff marked a reduction from the 49 percent it imposed on April 2. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol, who serves as chief negotiator for tariffs with the United States, said the kingdom will continue to negotiate with the United States, hoping that the latter will further lower the tariffs. "We will try to negotiate as much as possible to get the lowest tariff rate for the interests of our nation," he said at a press conference here. "We are still on the (United Nations) list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), so the U.S. should understand this and give us an opportunity to progress forward to the graduation from the LDC status in 2029," he added. Meanwhile, Chanthol urged manufacturers in the kingdom to stay calm, saying that the government is capable enough of protecting the interests of the nation, employers and employees. Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, an arm of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said U.S. tariffs on goods imported from Cambodia and dozens of other countries highlighted selfishness, protectionism, unilateralism of the United States. "U.S. tariffs are a lose-lose game that can escalate trade tensions and provoke retaliatory measures from other countries, ultimately damage international trade relations," he told Xinhua. "These tariffs raise the cost of imported goods for consumers and businesses, leading to higher prices and reduced purchasing power," he added.
Mint
07-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Bangladesh Expects ‘Positive Outcome' With US on Trade Deal
Bangladesh's interim government is anticipating a favorable resolution in trade negotiations with the US, after being among the hardest hit by President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs in April. 'We've had at least seven rounds of negotiations, both virtual and in-person, and we expect a positive outcome,' Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said in an interview Monday. Rahman also said the US has hinted at creating two separate trade bands — one for least developed countries or LDCs, a group that includes Bangladesh, and the other for the remaining trading partners. Bangladesh is 'the most advanced' among least developed nations in these negotiations, he said, adding US officials have privately assured Bangladesh that punitive tariffs would likely be avoided if discussions progress. A trade agreement will come as a relief for the economy recovering from a political turmoil last year that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee the country. The 37% US tariff on exports poses significant risks for the South Asian nation, particularly its ready-made garment sector, which accounts for 80% of its total exports and employs millions of workers. Bangladesh will need to clinch as good or a better deal than the one that rival Vietnam reached with the US last week, to be competitive in the global market. The agreement with Vietnam sets a 20% tariff on exports to the US, and imposes a 40% duty on goods deemed to be transshipped. The US has sought zero-tariff access for American products entering Bangladesh, particularly in sectors where the South Asian nation already has competing agreements, such as automobiles, Rahman said. The nation is awaiting final documents before making any binding commitments, Rahman said. 'We won't decide unilaterally. This will be a consultative process,' he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Qatar Tribune
01-07-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar affirms unwavering commitment to support LDCs
QNA Seville Qatar has affirmed that it will spare no effort in fulfilling its duty to support the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) through enhanced international cooperation, based on its policy of partnership and collaboration. This came in Qatar's statement delivered by Minister of State for International Cooperation HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad at the High-Level Meeting for the Least Developed Countries, held on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing For Development (FFD4), attended by Prime Minister of Nepal and Chair of the LDC Group K.P. Sharma, and UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the LDCs, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States Rabab Fatima. The Minister of State for International Cooperation said that Qatar is proud to co-lead the Group of Friends of the LDCs alongside Turkiye and Belgium. She noted that the group works to advance international and regional efforts aimed at supporting the LDCs in implementing the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, and in addressing the development challenges they face through the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, in coordination with the LDC Group, development partners, and the United Nations. She pointed out that the international community has reaffirmed its commitment to continue implementing the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs, as stated in the outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, known as the Seville Commitment. The document called on member states, the United Nations and relevant international organisations, international financial institutions, multilateral development banks, and development partners to continue supporting LDCs in achieving sustainable development. This includes implementing the Doha Programme of Action, integrating LDCs into the global trading system, enhancing their infrastructure, especially digital infrastructure, removing barriers to market access, supporting the UN Technology Facilitation Mechanism and the UN Technology Bank for LDCs, facilitating access to finance, and fulfilling commitments related to Official Development Assistance (ODA). Al Misnad added that Qatar is proud of its leading role in implementing the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs, in partnership with the UN Office of the High Representative for the LDCs and other specialised agencies, stressing that Qatar pledged, during the Fifth United Nations Conference on the LDCs hosted in Doha in March 2023, under the guidance of the Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to provide a financial contribution totaling $60 million to support the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, its intended outcomes, and capacity-building for resilience. She explained that preparations are currently underway to hold a high-level meeting in Doha at the end of this year on promoting sustainable graduation for countries exiting the LDC category, benefiting from partner support and best practices, adding that Qatar will host the high-level midterm review meeting of the Doha Programme of Action to assess progress, address challenges, and work toward full implementation of the programme through 2031.
