New Delhi, Jan 6: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Monday met US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan in New Delhi to discuss a wide range of strategic, regional, and bilateral issues.

The meeting took place as Sullivan, the outgoing US NSA, embarked on a two-day visit to India, concluding one of the last high-profile engagements of the Biden administration before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.

Sullivan’s visit is aimed at reviewing the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), a significant partnership framework to expand strategic ties between the two nations.

His itinerary includes meetings with NSA Ajit Doval and a visit to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, where he will interact with young Indian entrepreneurs and deliver a speech on the bilateral innovation alliance under iCET.

In his discussions with Doval, Sullivan is expected to delve into the implementation of iCET initiatives. These include cooperation in areas such as space, defence, strategic technology, and shared security priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.

Both NSAs have previously stressed the transformative potential of iCET in strengthening the India-US partnership. During a roundtable in June 2024, NSA Doval had underscored the importance of staying at the forefront of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and biotechnology, to protect shared value systems.

“iCET has achieved more than what we could imagine,” Doval remarked, highlighting progress in the defence innovation roadmap and the burgeoning semiconductor industry.

Sullivan had echoed similar sentiments, identifying innovation, production, and deployment as the three pillars of the technology partnership and emphasising the importance of government support for private sector initiatives.

The visit follows EAM Jaishankar’s recent six-day trip to the US, during which he met several senior officials of the Biden administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan. The meetings reviewed the progress of the India-US partnership over the past four years.

“Good to meet US NSA Jake Sullivan in Washington DC this morning. A wide-ranging discussion on the progress of the India-US strategic partnership. Also exchanged views on current regional and global developments,” Jaishankar posted on X after their meeting.

The iCET, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden in May 2022, has been lauded as a defining element of the India-US strategic relationship, driving advancements in critical sectors such as defence, semiconductors, and Artificial Intelligence.

As Sullivan wraps up his visit, the discussions are expected to set the stage for continued collaboration under the Trump administration, with both nations poised to deepen their strategic and technological ties.

Chennai, Jan 6: The Greater Chennai Police arrested AIADMK Students’ Wing Secretary, Singai Ramachandran, along with others, while attempting to distribute black armbands to students of Anna University in protest against a recent sexual assault case.

The protest was held despite the police denying permission for demonstrations.

The AIADMK student wing had announced the protest against the sexual assault of a second-year Anna University engineering student, which occurred on December 23.

The protest was scheduled to take place outside the Anna University campus at 8.30 a.m.

However, the police had earlier warned the student wing leaders of arrest if they proceeded with the demonstration.

Heavy police deployment has been reported at the university campus.

The AIADMK has announced plans to raise the arrests of their student leaders, including State Secretary Singai Ramachandran, in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, which begins its session in the day.

The assault occurred on December 23 when a second-year engineering student and her male friend, a senior at the university, were sitting in a secluded area of the campus after attending a Christmas program.

According to the victim’s complaint, the accused attacked her male friend, brutally assaulting him, before dragging her into nearby shrubs and raping her.

The police acted swiftly and arrested a 37-year-old roadside biryani vendor, Gnanshekharan, for the crime.

The incident has sparked outrage across the state. Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai staged a dramatic protest outside his residence in Coimbatore, where he flogged himself six times to symbolize what he called the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

He also announced plans to undertake a 48-day fast and visit all six holy abodes of Lord Murugan as part of his protest.

Annamalai criticised the Tamil Nadu Police for leaking the FIR of the case, which revealed the identity of the 19-year-old victim, a violation of her privacy.

He also alleged that the accused, Gnanshekharan, was not included in the police’s rowdy list despite having over 20 prior cases against him.

He claimed this was due to the accused’s connections with leaders of the ruling DMK party.

The BJP chief, a former IPS officer, presented evidence that the accused was a functionary of the DMK.

He accused the party of attempting to divert attention from Tamil Nadu’s law and order issues by fabricating a narrative around a North-South divide.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has announced plans to submit a detailed report on the incident to the Centre.

NCW member Mamta Kumari visited Anna University to investigate the case. “We visited every corner of Anna University and conducted a thorough investigation. We met with the affected girl and her family to gather all the necessary information. We also met the Governor of Tamil Nadu to discuss the matter,” Mamta Kumari stated.

She further added, “A detailed report will be submitted to the Central government through the NCW. Whoever is found guilty will face strict punishment.“

New Delhi, Jan 4 The growth rate of the agriculture sector and allied sectors is expected to be between 3.5 per cent and 4 per cent in 2025, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday.

In a review meeting of various schemes with the state/UT ministers in the national capital, Chouhan said that in the New Year with new resolutions, “we will take forward the work of agricultural development and farmer welfare at a fast pace”.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said from the Red Fort last year that I will work with three times the strength in the third term. We should also resolve that we will work with our full potential,” the Union Minister said during the meeting. “Under the leadership of PM Modi, we have a six-point strategy for farmer welfare and development in the agriculture sector,” he added.

The Agriculture Ministry is working in several directions like micro-irrigation schemes, mechanisation, use of technology and new agricultural methods. “We are working on reducing the cost of production to increase income rapidly,” he said.

As part of the ‘PM Kisan Samman Nidhi’ scheme, Rs 3.46 lakh crore has been distributed to 11 crore farmers in 18 instalments to date.

“More than 25 lakh eligible farmers were added in the first 100 days of PM Modi’s third term. The number of people taking benefit of the 18th instalment increased to 9.58 crore,” Chouhan said.

The ‘PM Crop Insurance Scheme’ is the world’s largest crop insurance scheme.

“In this, loanee applications are 876 lakh and non-loanee applications are 552 lakh. A total of 14.28 crore farmers have applied, 602 lakh hectare area is insured, and the gross insured amount is Rs 2,73,049 crore,” the Agriculture Minister said.

Four crore farmers have benefited from the scheme. Since the inception of the scheme, Rs 17,000 crore has been given to farmers in the form of claims, he added.

The Union Cabinet on January 1 decided that the provision of Rs 66,000 crore in the crop insurance scheme has been increased to more than Rs 69,000 crore.

“Fertiliser subsidy like DAP will now be available at the price of Rs 1,350 per 50 kg bag and a provision of Rs 3,800 crore has been made for this,” said the minister.

Chouhan said it is also necessary to pay attention to the legalisation of crops and states are also making better efforts in this direction.