MEA appoints TCS as service provider for upgraded Passport Seva Programme

George highlighted how digital tools and AI empower 1.4 billion Indians.

Minister of State for External Affairs and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Kirti Vardhan Singh, visited Chile from March 10-12 and represented the Government of India at the inauguration ceremony of the new President of Chile, HE Jose Antonio Kast Rist.

Speaking during the weekly press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India opposes attacks on merchant shipping "from any quarters" and confirmed that several Indian nationals have been affected in recent incidents.

India on Thursday welcomed Nepal's successful elections, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah on their victory, signalling a fresh chapter in the bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring nations.

"We reject this statement made by Pakistan on the matter. India's credentials regarding non-proliferation are impeccable and well recognised by the global community. A country with a well-documented history of clandestine nuclear proliferation can hardly preach the virtues of export controls and proliferation risks. Such ludicrous statements are nothing more than an attempt by Pakistan to distract from its own abysmal record," he said.

"India is a major exporter of petroleum products, especially to our neighbourhood. We have been supplying diesel to Bangladesh through waterways, rail and the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline in partnership with Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation. Diesel exports to Bangladesh have continued since then," he said.

India on Wednesday expressed concern over attacks targeting commercial shipping in the ongoing West Asia conflict, following missile strikes on a Thai-flagged cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier today.

MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, while addressing an Inter-Ministerial Briefing on Recent Developments in West Asia, said that the Indian Embassy in Tehran remains fully operational and is on high alert. The government is assisting Indian nationals, including students and pilgrims, who wish to leave the country. He further added that those choosing to exit Iran via land, the embassy is assisting citizens in crossing into Armenia and Azerbaijan, from where they can board commercial flights to return to India.

Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) P Kumaran on Wednesday bid farewell to Indonesia's Ambassador, Ina Krisnamurthi, at a dinner attended by ASEAN country heads.

The Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Randhir Jasiwal, on Wednesday confirmed that the two Indian nationals have lost their lives and one still remains missing amid the ongoing West Asian conflict.