Last updated:December 20, 2024, 11:35 IST

Winter session of Parliament: After three days of heated debate on maintaining the dignity of BR Ambedkar, the winter session is likely to end on a sour note with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in focus.

Parliament Winter Session: One Nation, One Election Bill in Lok Sabha

Parliament Winter Session Update: It all started with promises of peace from both the ruling and opposition parties, but with a day left for the winter session to end, it ended with rival MPs shouting and pushing at each other on Thursday. Unprecedented scenes of unrest were witnessed. ,

There was a lot of activity this winter session – from the ‘One Nation One Election’ Bill and the now-rejected impeachment motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to the fiery maiden speech of new Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s controversial speech on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution.

After three days of heated debate inside the House on maintaining the dignity of BR Ambedkar, the winter session will likely conclude on a bitter note as Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi takes center stage.

Here’s a recap:

Uproar in Parliament, FIR against Rahul Gandhi

After two BJP MPs were hospitalized on Thursday (December 19), Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is now facing an FIR in the Parliament scuffle case. A female MP also accused him of “misbehavior”. Balasore MP Pratap Sarangi, 69, needed stitches in the temple, while his colleague Mukesh Rajput also suffered head injuries.

Anger and voices grew louder as BJP and opposition MPs moved towards each other over Amit Shah’s remarks on BR Ambedkar. The problem arose minutes before the start of the sitting of both the houses at 11 am as both the parties were protesting on the steps of Parliament’s ‘Makar Dwar’, which is the entry and exit gate reserved for MPs.

BJP MPs claimed that Rahul Gandhi tried to pass through the middle of the stairs where he was standing, ignoring the adjacent walkway, and was injured in the resulting scuffle. However, some opposition MPs claimed that BJP members refused to give way to Gandhi who was heading towards the Lok Sabha to attend the House proceedings.

There was a huge uproar in both the Houses with slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ raised from both sides and the House was adjourned without any transaction. Congress MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted a complaint against BJP MPs.

Both BJP and Congress held press conferences and directly blamed each other for the feud. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Rahul Gandhi is not fit to hold the post of leader of the opposition,” while Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said he was pushed so hard that he lost his balance and sat down.

Ambedkar controversy

A major political controversy erupted on 18 December when Congress and other opposition parties launched an all-out attack on Amit Shah for his remarks on BR Ambedkar and demanded his dismissal, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders rallied in his defense and said that he had exposed the “anti-Ambedkar” stance of the Congress.

“Baba Saheb is the creator of the Constitution and a great man who gave direction to the country. The country will not tolerate his insult or the insult to the Constitution made by him. The Home Minister should apologise!” said Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. “They are against the Constitution. He had earlier said that we will change the Constitution. They are against Ambedkar and his ideology. Their entire work has to be finished.” The entire country knows the contribution of Ambedkar and the Constitution.”

As opposition parties united and protested against him and disrupted both houses of Parliament, alleging that his comments had insulted Ambedkar and demanding an apology from him, Shah said that Congress had violated the Constitution. Following the discussion, his comments were distorted in a malicious campaign to suggest that the opposition had established that the party was against Ambedkar and reservation.

“There has been a fashion now – Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If he had taken God’s name so many times, he would have got heaven for seven births (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. If he had taken God’s name so many times, he would have got a place) Heaven In), “he said in the Rajya Sabha during the debate on the Constitution.

Modi also attacked the Congress, saying its “rotten ecosystem” and “malicious lies” cannot hide its misdeeds and said the Home Minister exposed the opposition party’s “dark history of insulting Ambedkar”. Is.

“They are clearly shocked and appalled by the facts presented to them, which is why they are now indulging in theatrics. Sadly for them, people know the truth,” he said in a series of posts on X.

Parties like Congress, Trinamool Congress, AAP, RJD, SP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Left parties protested against Shah inside and outside the Parliament. Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien submitted a notice to move a privilege motion against him, following which Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge gave the notice.

“I give notice of a question of privilege against Home Minister Shri Amit Shah under Rule 188 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha (Rajya Sabha),” Kharge said in his notice.

The uproar in Parliament also spread to the national capital and the streets of other states like Maharashtra, Bihar and Tamil Nadu, where various parties staged protests. In Delhi, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal protested outside the BJP along with hundreds of supporters raising slogans of ‘Amit Shah apologise, Amit Shah do shame’.

From Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin, everyone condemned Shah’s remarks. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and former Deputy CM of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav also criticized the Home Minister on this matter.

‘One nation, one election’

Two ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE) Bills, which also require an amendment to the Constitution, provide for simultaneous holding of elections, and were introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17 after a heated debate.

Opposition parties termed the draft laws – a Constitution Amendment Bill and an Ordinary Bill – as an attack on the federal structure, which were rejected by the central government. Speaking to reporters at the Parliament complex, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi had termed the bills as “anti-constitutional”. He had said, “This is against the federalism of our country. We are opposing the bill.”

The BJP and its allies like TDP, JD(U) and Shiv Sena have strongly defended the bills, saying frequent elections are a hindrance to development programs and simultaneous voting will boost them by cutting election expenditure.

Priyanka, along with former BJP Union ministers Anurag Thakur and PP Choudhary, will be among the 21 Lok Sabha MPs who will be part of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that will simultaneously examine the two bills on elections.

A total of 21 MPs will be included in the committee. Rajya Sabha will announce its 10 members in a separate notice. Of the proposed members in the committee, 14 are from the BJP-led NDA, including 10 from the BJP.

According to official sources, consideration is being given to making BJP MP Bhartrihari Mahtab the head of JPC. The BJP is certain to get the post of chairman for the important panel, he said, adding that Mahtab’s parliamentary experience could work in his favour. He is a seven-time Lok Sabha member from Odisha and currently heads the Standing Committee on Finance Ministry.

debate on the constitution

Amid the new Rahul Gandhi controversy and Amit Shah’s alleged insult to BR Ambedkar, the Parliament debate on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution seems to be taking on a new life of its own. But, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who created the atmosphere for a scathing attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family.

On 14 December, Modi alleged that generations of the family had attacked the Constitution and left its soul in a “bloodstained state”. Responding to the two-day debate on ’75 Years of Glorious Journey of the Constitution of India’, he said the first PM Jawaharlal Nehru had “tasted blood” by amending the Constitution and his future generations would revisit the guiding document again and again. They kept attacking, due to which it became dilapidated.

“They tasted blood by changing the Constitution and they kept attacking it. He had tasted blood. He left the spirit of the Constitution bleeding. The seed which was sown by the first Prime Minister was nurtured by the second Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.” He said, ”When Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister, he continued the attack on the Constitution.”

Targeting Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he claimed that during the 60 years of Congress’s tenure, the Constitution was changed 75 times. He said Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency by misusing the Constitution and also clipped the wings of the courts through constitutional amendments to capture the judiciary.

He said, “When the Constitution was completing 25 years, it was torn. Emergency was imposed in 1975, all constitutional rights were taken away and the country was turned into a prison. He said, “All the rights of the citizens were taken away and the media was controlled.” He said, “Congress cannot eradicate this sin. Whenever democracy is discussed across the world, this sin of Congress will be remembered.

Before his remarks on Ambedkar, Shah also made more or less similar comments while concluding the debate. During his speech on 17 December, he said that Congress treated the Constitution as a “private fief” of a family and “frauded” the Parliament.

“In the last 75 years, the Congress committed fraud in the name of the Constitution… They (Nehru-Gandhi family) not only treated the party as their personal property but also treated the Constitution as their ‘personal fiefdom’,” he alleged. ‘, adding that he amended the document several times to remain in power.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra: New MP on the block

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra seems to have had an interesting Parliament – be it her fiery maiden speech, which started discussions on how she could be a “big threat” to brother Rahul’s political career, or Palestine and Bangladesh should be the ones giving statements in their support. He described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech for the debate on the Constitution in the Lok Sabha as boring and like sitting for “double period of mathematics” in school.

During her 32-minute speech in Hindi, Priyanka said Modi had failed to understand that the Constitution is the “Constitution of India” and not the “Constitution of the Union”. Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, he said that if the results of the Lok Sabha elections had not come, the ruling party would have started changing the Constitution.

She was combative yet restrained, never raising her voice as she raised key issues of the opposition. These included BJP’s alleged attempts to change the Constitution, atrocities on women, incidents of violence in Sambhal and Manipur and demand for a nationwide caste census.

Criticizing the BJP for alleged divisive politics, the Congress MP said that where the Constitution has provided a protective shield of unity, seeds of suspicion and hatred are being sown. “The Safety armor Unity is being broken. The Prime Minister respects the Constitution, but when there is a demand for justice from Sambhal, Hathras and Manipur, there is not even a wrinkle on his forehead,” he said.

When it came to making bold statements, he did so twice by carrying a bag into Parliament in support of Palestine and Bangladesh. When she was criticized for her “Palestine bag”, she called it “typical patriarchy” and insisted that no one would decide what she would wear.

Not only did he make his views public on the Gaza war by strongly criticizing Benjamin Netanyahu-led Israel in Parliament, he also raised the issue of alleged attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.

(With PTI inputs)

The harsh winter session of Parliament was filled with bitterness between the government and the opposition and protests and counter-protests over Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks. BR AmbedkarThe first attempt to remove the Vice President in independent India, sparking a historic debate and ugly scene on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution that led to a flurry of police complaints and privilege notices, came to a halt on Friday.

The session also saw the introduction of two landmark bills on simultaneous elections, which were referred to the 39-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The JPC constituted in August on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was also given extension.

On the last day of the winter session, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) protested in the Parliament complex against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (India) took out a counter-protest march from Vijay Chowk to Parliament. On Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar earlier this week.

This came a day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) And the Congress accused each other of assault and harassment and filed separate complaints with the police, showing an unprecedented breakdown of decorum in Parliament.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized the opposition for disrupting the proceedings, saying it had resulted in a decline in the productivity of Parliament. “The productivity of Parliament reduced due to the disturbance created by the opposition. We made a lot of efforts to run the proceedings of Parliament smoothly. I expect and request the opposition not to create similar disruption in the budget session.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die minutes after the House adopted a resolution to set up a joint parliamentary committee to examine two bills aimed at simultaneous holding of state and national elections. Opposition members came to the well of the House and raised slogans of Jai Bhim.

“It is the collective responsibility of all members to maintain the dignity and decorum of Parliament. It is not appropriate to protest or demonstrate at any gate of Parliament. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said in his concluding speech.

His remarks came a day after the ruling party leveled allegations against the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi At least one MLA was pushed and injured, while another was injured, while the Congress denied the allegations and said that BJP MLAs blocked Gandhi’s way and pushed Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, causing injury to his knee. It took effect. Birla said that “in case of violation of norms, Parliament has the right to take necessary action to maintain its decorum and dignity” as he urged MPs to “ensure compliance with the rules in all circumstances.”

The productivity of Lok Sabha was 57.87% and that of Rajya Sabha was 40%.

The Upper House was also adjourned sine die after adopting a resolution to nominate 12 members to the JPC that will examine the two bills on simultaneous elections.

“The bitter reality is disturbing, the productivity of this session is only 40.03%, with an effective functioning of only 43 hours and 27 minutes. As MPs, we are facing severe criticism from the people of India and rightly so. These persistent disruptions are continuously eroding public confidence in our democratic institutions,” Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, a day after his deputy Harivansh rejected the opposition notice for a no-confidence motion against him.

“The increasing trend of publicizing notices through media and resorting to Rule 267 before parliamentary consideration further weakens our institutional dignity. We stand at an important crossroads, India’s 1.4 billion citizens expect better from us. It is time to choose between meaningful debate and destructive disruption. Our democratic heritage demands that we rise above political differences and restore the sanctity of parliamentary deliberations.

In the Lower House, BJP member Nishikant Dubey moved a privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi, demanding his immediate suspension for his “cowardly conduct” of sharing the “criminally edited” clip of Shah on Twitter. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that a similar motion was brought against him. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. The development comes a day after Kharge moved a privilege motion against Shah alleging contempt of the House.

Dubey said, “This time he (Gandhi) has crossed all limits of sensible behavior expected from the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and has thereby committed the crime of ‘breach of parliamentary privilege’ and ‘contempt of the House’, which requires exemplary punishment. Punishment is required.” A Lok Sabha official, on condition of anonymity, said that more than a dozen privilege motions are pending against various leaders.

Congress rejected BJP’s allegation and accused it of trying to suppress the voice of the opposition. “They (BJP) have to understand that there is an opposition in Parliament which is equally strong and they have to respect its voice,” he said. They are not ready to respect the voice of the opposition, they want to crush things, they do not want any kind of dialogue with the opposition,” said Congress leader Manickam Tagore.

The controversy comes in the backdrop of the controversy that erupted over Shah’s comments on Ambedkar earlier this week. Responding to the debate on completion of 75 years of the Constitution on Tuesday, Shah had attacked the Congress and alleged that the opposition party had repeatedly insulted Ambedkar. “It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar…If he had taken God’s name so many times, he would have got a place in heaven for seven births…” he said.

India Bloc parties shared clips of the first part of his statement, demanding Shah’s resignation and an apology for the charge of insulting the creator of the Constitution. The BJP rejected Congress’s allegations, with Modi accusing the Congress of spreading malicious lies to hide its misdeeds and Shah accusing the Congress of creating “confusion” by “distorting” his statement that he had supported Ambedkar. Have insulted.

The session began on November 25 when the opposition attempted to corner the government over corruption allegations against the Adani Group in the US. But after most of the first week was wasted, Congress found itself isolated and disruptions became less frequent. Lok Sabha passed three bills, including the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and Rajya Sabha passed three bills, including the Oil Sector (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024. The highlight of the session was the introduction of two bills – the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill – which were referred to the JPC after the opposition forced a vote on the scope of the introduction of the bills. The bill proposes to start the alignment process in 2029 and hold simultaneous elections for the first time in 2034.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill will be a major test of the BJP’s ability to garner support in its favor as the ruling government does not have sufficient numbers to push the constitutional amendment in either House of Parliament. Article 368, which governs constitutional amendments, mandates that such a Bill be passed in each House “by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting” Go.” ,

Special debates were also held in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the occasion of completion of 75 years of the Constitution, where the government accused the Congress of weakening the Constitution and the India Bloc alleged that the BJP was working against vulnerable communities. All top leaders including Modi, Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Health Minister JP Nadda participated in the marathon debate. Two leaders of opposition – Kharge in the Rajya Sabha and Gandhi in the Lok Sabha – along with newly elected Wayanad MPs Priyanka Gandhi and Abhishek Singhvi from the Congress, and Akhilesh Yadav from the Samajwadi Party were among those who participated from the opposition.

This was Priyanka Gandhi’s first session in Parliament.

“We should have worked as much as we could for the country and left no stone unturned in serving the country. But we have seen such activities in Parliament which have affected the functioning and also damaged the dignity of Parliament. Rijiju said, members of the opposition parties have hindered the progress of our work, due to which the productivity rate has reduced significantly.

Congress rejected Rijiju’s allegation. “For us, the productivity of Parliament was 100% because today the entire country knows what the Union Home Minister and Narendra Modi think about Dr. Ambedkar. We assess the productivity of Parliament by the intentions of the government. The Union Home Minister has insulted Baba Saheb Ambedkar. I have complained to the Chairman (Rajya Sabha) that it has been 72 hours since the Finance Minister, Nadda Saheb and the Union Home Minister made allegations against Pandit Nehru which could not be proved. They will not be able to authenticate it,” said Jairam Ramesh of Congress.

Last updated:December 20, 2024, 19:10 IST

PM Modi will review with the leadership of Kuwait the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including areas such as politics, trade, investment, energy, culture and people-to-people ties, and what steps both sides will take to take forward Is needed. During his two-day visit…read more

The Hala Modi event will be held at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Stadium in Kuwait. Image/News18

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain two day trip to kuwait Starting Saturday, it will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Gulf country in 43 years. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the visit would provide an opportunity to further strengthen “multi-dimensional” relations between India and Kuwait. The stage is also set for the Hala Modi mega diaspora event, which is expected to be attended by around 5,000 people.

The ministry said that PM Modi is making this visit at the invitation of Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

External Affairs Ministry Secretary Arun Kumar Chatterjee stressed the strong bilateral ties, lauding the “excellent political relations” between the two countries. PM Modi will receive a ceremonial guard of honor at Bayan Palace, followed by meetings with Kuwait’s leadership. He said.

During the discussions, PM Modi will review with the leadership of Kuwait the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including politics, trade, investment, energy, culture and people-to-people relations and the steps to be taken by both sides. To increase them further, Chatterjee said. He said the Crown Prince will host a banquet in the Prime Minister’s honour.

The visit will not only strengthen the partnership in existing areas but will also open new avenues for future cooperation, reinforce shared values ​​and build a stronger and more dynamic partnership for the future, he said. He said it is also expected to boost relations between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Highlighting PM Modi’s visit to a labor camp in Kuwait, Chatterjee said, “The Government of India attaches great importance to the welfare of all workers living abroad. Our community in Kuwait is around one million strong…The idea of ​​the visit to the labor camp is to express how much importance the Government of India attaches to our workers who are working in a foreign country.”

He said, as far as the Kafala system is concerned, there is a mechanism called consular dialogue. “We have a mechanism for labor and manpower dialogue. All concerns have been marked under this. Chatterjee said the Kuwaiti side strives to overcome all difficulties.

The Kafala system is a set of laws and policies that assign responsibility for migrant workers to employers, including controls over their ability to enter, reside, work, and, in some cases, exit the host country.

Binoy Sebastian, a member of the organizing committee of the Hala Modi event, also spoke to CNN-News18 at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Stadium in Kuwait.

“We are very excited because the last visit took place when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. ⁠This visit is important because Kuwait is the chair of the GCC,” he said. “We had to take leave from offices for preparations…⁠We are excited to meet Modi ji. ⁠There will also be many cultural programs at this event ⁠PM Modi holds a special place in our hearts.”

India and Kuwait share a historic and dynamic relationship that spans decades, rooted in shared history, strong trade, vibrant cultural ties and mutual support during challenging times. This year marks a historic milestone, as the first state visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years underlines the growing importance of this partnership.

historical connection

India and Kuwait have traditionally had friendly relations, dating back to pre-oil Kuwait, when maritime trade with India was the backbone of its economy.

Kuwait’s economy revolved around its excellent port and maritime activities, including shipbuilding, pearl diving, fishing, and voyages to India on wooden carts carrying dates, Arabian horses, and pearls, which were traded for timber, grain, , clothes and spices.

The Indian rupee remained legal tender in Kuwait until 1961, symbolizing enduring economic and cultural ties.

political relations

Diplomatic relations were formally established in 1961, with India initially represented by a Trade Commissioner. Over the years, there have been several high-level visits between the two countries, including visits by Indian leaders such as Vice President Dr. Zakir Hussain (1965), Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1981) and Vice President Hamid Ansari (2009). VVIP visits from Kuwait to India were by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah (1964), Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1980) and again in 1983 (for the NAM Summit) . ), Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (2006), and Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (2013). Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah visited India in July 2017 on a personal visit. The last high-level visit from both sides was the visit of the Prime Minister of Kuwait to India in 2013.

Recent high level meetings include PM Modi and Crown Prince of Kuwait edge of unga In September 2024. In 2024, foreign minister-level visits from India to Kuwait also include the visit of Dr. S. Jaishankar on August 18, 2024. Similarly, foreign minister-level visits from Kuwait to India also include the visit of Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya. , on December 3-4, 2024. He also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit and invited the Kuwaiti leadership to visit there. The two Foreign Ministers also met on the sidelines of the first India-GCC Strategic Dialogue Committee meeting in Riyadh on September 9, 2024.

bilateral system

India and Kuwait have institutionalized their cooperation through mechanisms such as the Joint Cooperation Commission (JCC), which was established during the visit of the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister to India in December 2024, which is chaired at the Foreign Minister level. Seven new Joint Working Groups (JWGs) have been set up in the areas of trade, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security and culture. These complement the three existing JWGs on hydrocarbons, health and consular matters, taking the total number of JWGs to 10 after the signing of the JCC.

Six rounds of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) have been held, the latest being in July 2024. Additionally, 26 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) have been signed under this framework.

economic relations

Kuwait is one of India’s top trading partners with bilateral trade expected to reach US$10.47 billion in FY 2023-24.

Kuwait is India’s sixth largest crude oil supplier, meeting 3% of the country’s energy needs.

Indian exports to Kuwait reached US$2 billion for the first time, while Kuwait Investment Authority investments in India exceeded US$10 billion.

Cultural and educational relations

Cultural ties flourish with Indian music, films and cuisine becoming widely popular in Kuwait. Events like Bharat Mahotsav held in Kuwait in March 2023 and launch of a weekly hindi radio program Cultural synergy will be highlighted on Kuwait’s national radio in April 2024.

Education is another important sector, with 26 CBSE-affiliated schools serving over 60,000 students, predominantly Indians, and the establishment of a Hindi Chair at the Gulf University for Science and Technology in September 2024 for collaboration between India and Kuwait. The beach is a symbol of strengthening cultural ties.

Community and Manpower Collaboration

Indians make largest expatriate community In Kuwait, around 10 lakh, who are present in various fields, are contributing a lot and working as a “living bridge” between the two countries.

Mobility in the manpower sector has been facilitated by bilateral agreements such as the Memorandum of Understanding on Recruitment of Domestic Workers (2021).

Over 200 Indian associations actively organize socio-cultural and humanitarian initiatives, further strengthening ties between the two countries.

support in times of crisis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, India and Kuwait stood by each other.

India sent medical teams to Kuwait, while Kuwait supplied over 425 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen and 12,500 oxygen cylinders to India during its second wave.

Energy and Science Cooperation

Kuwait remains a reliable energy partner, being the sixth largest supplier of crude oil and fourth largest supplier of LPG to India. Regular meetings of the Joint Working Group on Hydrocarbons ensure a stable and forward-looking energy partnership. Scientific collaboration includes agreements with Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and Indian Agricultural Research Institutes, Department of Science and Technology, etc.

The visit marks a new chapter in the India-Kuwait partnership and promises to open up new opportunities for both countries.