Embassy's Weekly e-Bulletin on Key Policy Decisions and High Impact News

Greetings from the Embassy of India in Washington D.C.!

Welcome to the July 26, 2018, edition of our weekly newsletter, bringing you important policy and high-impact news about India.

I hope you find it useful.

-- Shambhu Hakki, First Secretary, Press, Information and Culture

KEY POLICY DECISIONS

India-U.S. 2+2 Dialogue Rescheduled for September 6 in Delhi

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will travel to Delhi in September for the 2+2 dialogue high-level talks, the Indian foreign ministry announced. Pompeo and Mattis will meet with India Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sept. 6.

Govt. Tells WhatsApp to Find Better Solutions to Platform Misuse

The Ministry of Electronics and IT has written to messaging app WhatsApp instructing the company to take immediate steps to tackle the menace of misuse of their platform that allows inflammatory messages to be circulated, leading to unfortunate incidents.

Govt. to Boost Cruise Tourism with New Terminals

The Government will develop new infrastructure at five major ports, including Mumbai, Goa and Chennai, to accommodate the cruise ship industry and encourage cruise tourism. This will include new hospitality, retail and restaurants.

Made-in-India Solar Sells Will Soon Power Satellites

Govt. On Track to Meet Goal of Spending 2.5% of GDP on Public Health by 2025

The Government is on track to meet the 2025 target of spending 2.5 percent of India's GDP on public health. Under the Modi Government, public-health spending rose by 36 percent over the past fiscal year.

HIGH-IMPACT NEWS

ADB: India to Remain World's Fastest-Growing Economy in 2019-20

India will continue to be the world's fastest growing major economy, ahead of China, with a 7.3 percent growth rate in 2018-19 and 7.6 percent rate in 2019-20, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said. The growth will be driven by increased public spending, higher capacity utilization rate and an uptick in private investment.

India's UPL Buys Florida's Arysta LifeScience in $4.2 Billion Deal

In one of the largest overseas deals by India Inc. in recent years, chemical producer UPL has teamed up with an Abu Dhabi investment group to buy Florida-based Arysta LifeScience in a $4.2 billion deal.

Walmart to Open 20 New Stores in India Over Next 3 Years

U.S. retail giant Walmart will open 20 wholesale cash-and-carry stores in India in the next three years, the company said. In addition, the company, which opened its second fulfilment center here, is in the process of opening more such centers to cater to online business-to-business customers to tap the fast-growing e-commerce in India.

Meet the Indian Brain Behind Amazon's Alexa

Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa is Indian in ways you not even know. An India-born engineer, Rohit Prasad, has breathed life into Alexa, leading the technology side of the project almost from its inception five years ago. Prasad hails from Ranchi.

Can India Drive Apple Toward World's 1st Trillion-Dollar Company?

At nearly $940 billion, Apple is well on the way to becoming the world's first trillion-dollar company -- and the feat could be achieved as early as the end of this year with upcoming iPhone launches. Trying hard to make inroads in India, the company is going through an overhaul under Michel Coulomb, the new head of the India operations.

TRANSFORMING INDIA

With Titles, 1 Million Slum Dwellers in India Become Home Owners

Nearly every family in Gopalpur, in Odisha state, has received a title, or patta, under an ambitious program to give land rights to about 1 million people living in slums across the state. They will also receive a loan with which to build their homes.

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