Already the poorest country in Asia, Afghanistan’s economic base has long been too small to support its population of 40 million. Annual per capita income had declined from US$650 in 2012 to US$508 in 2020 and is expected to drop precipitously to US$350 next year. The report indicates that the …
Afghanistan's cabinet cleared the way for the war-torn state to sign a deal with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) for the development of oil blocks in the Amu Darya basin, the Afghan president's office said on Monday. The deal covering drilling and a refinery in the northern provinces of Sar-e …
A consortium led by state-owned steel giant SAIL has suddenly turned around and demanded that the government provide interest-free loans to the tune of Rs 45,000 crore to develop the prized Hajigak mines in Afghanistan and build a steel plant. The Afghan government had recently awarded the seven member consortium …
Zara, an Afghan mother of seven, doesn't know what to tell her children when they ask about dinner. "I simply tell them that we must wait until their father gets home to see if he's going to bring anything," she said, speaking from under a dusty blue burqa covering her …
New Delhi The Steel Authority of India (SAIL)-led consortium which won the bid for Afghanistan’s Hajigak iron ore mines has sought a government guarantee to fund the $11-billion project, which includes setting up a steel plant, power plant and other infrastructure in the Central Asian country. “We have written to …
A day after winning the exploration rights for three blocks of the Hajigak iron-ore mines in Afghanistan, SAIL today displayed cautious optimism in proceeding with the ambitious project worth Rs 50,000 crore. SAIL Chairman CS Verma said the consortium is concerned that the funding by Indian financial institutions would be …
Afghan mines ministry awards rights to three ore blocks to SAIL-led consortium that includes NMDC and JSW Steel among others The Steel Authority of India-led consortium won the bid to mine Afghanistan’s largest iron ore deposit mainly because of its commitment to offer more jobs to local people and participate …
NEW DELHI: A seven-member consortium of Indian companies led by Steel Authority of India has bagged the rights to mine iron ore at Hajigak in Afghanistan, said to contain the world's second-largest reserves of the mineral. The Indian firms outbid global majors, braving security concerns to gain access to the …
Up to three million people in Afghanistan are facing hunger, malnutrition and disease after a severe drought wiped out their crops and extreme winter weather risks cutting off their access to vital food aid, a group of aid agencies warned Friday. Poor rains earlier this year destroyed 80 percent of …
Four Himalayan nations facing the threat of weather changes have agreed to collaborate on ways to adapt to climate change after a two-day summit in Bhutan. India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan were part of the Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas held in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on Saturday. They agreed …
National Glaciers Within the last three decades, glaciers of Bhutan shrank by 189sqkm, less than half the size of one of the country’s smallest dzongkhags, Pemagatshel. It is a fall by 7.3 percent, compared with 860sqkm in 1980, which, when recorded in 2010, dropped to 671sqkm. Going by a recent …
However, Nuke Plan Won’t Affect Delhi’s Broader Engagement With Tehran New Delhi: As the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) works on a resolution to censure Iran yet again for its nuclear programme, India believes there is little to stop the Islamic republic from proceeding with weaponization. India believes the latest …
Recognizing Sulabh International's pioneering work in developing low-cost, environmental-friendly public toilet system, the United Nations has accorded its highest consultative status to the Indian NGO. The Chief of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) NGO office, Andrei Abramov conveyed the upgrade of Sulabh International to from 'Special' to 'General' …
For a country making strides as an emerging economic power, gender inequality remains an area where it compares poorly with the rest of the world. India is placed 129th among 146 countries in terms of GII, or gender inequality index, far behind neighbouring Sri Lanka at 74 and lagging most …
Experts at a conference on Tuesday said Pakistan would suffer 16 to 17 per cent drop in water supply from Afghanistan after construction of 13 dams on Kabul River. They said time had come to enter into a water treaty with Afghanistan to avoid water related conflicts between the two …
In this report, the determinants of economic poverty in mountain areas are analysed using nationally representative livelihood data at the household level. Economic poverty has a central position, because it is perceived to be at the very core of the poverty definition: the inability to fulfil basic needs. Other poverty …
New Delhi: Shortly after it signed a strategic partnership pact with Afghanistan, India’s engagement with Kabul is all set to blossom further with two Indian companies, one of them a government-backed consortium led by SAIL, likely to win the contract for iron ore mining at Hajigak in Bamiyan province. In …
Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has sought to blame an influx of Afghan refugees for persistence of polio in his country as Commonwealth leaders pledged to eradicate the crippling disease by announcing measures like a new $50-million funding. Mr Gilani made the remarks on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads …
The consortium of Indian companies, which has bid for the Hajigak iron ore mine in Afghanistan, has appealed to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for financial assistance in executing the ambitious project. The move comes amid a growing realisation among the companies that they may not be able to mobilise …
China vaccinated 4.5 million children and young adults over the last five weeks in the western region of Xinjiang in a fight against polio after the disease paralysed 17 people and killed one of them, the World Health Organisation said. Polio has broken out in China for the first time …
In another step towards food security, Odisha has been included in the international programme for Roots & Tuber Crops (RTC) initiated by the International Potato Centre (known by its Spanish acronym CIP). A two-day project planning meeting of the programme was inaugurated by chief secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik here on …
