Will Modi Govt Protect Its Allies & Investments

 From education to healthcare and dam and highway, India has delivered big time in Afghanistan. However, the security of its investments seems to be called into question as the Taliban continues to make rapid advances. A quick look at development projects undertaken by New Delhi.  

Salma Dam 

The Salma Dam is a hydropower and irrigation project located in Afghanistan’s Herat province. It was inaugurated in 2016 and completed under major constraints. It is popularly known as the Afghan-India Friendship Dam and is a symbol of Indo-Afghan bilateral relations. In the past few weeks, the Taliban have mounted offensives near the dam, during the course of which, many security personnel were killed. The Taliban also claim control of areas around the Salma Dam.

Image 

Zaranj-Delaram Highway

The $150-million project was built by India’s Border Roads Organisation. The 218-km long Zaranj-Delaram highway, which lies in proximity to the Afghanistan-Iran border, stretches from the Khash Rud river-Delaram-northeast of Zaranj.

The highway proceeds to connect to a ring road, which links to Kandahar in the south, Ghazni and Kabul in the east, Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, and Herat in the west.

This highway is of utmost strategic interest to India and has been constructed through the collective efforts of 300 Indian engineers and construction workers in collaboration with their Afghan counterparts.

Eleven Indians and 129 Afghans had lost their lives during the construction. Six Indians were killed in terrorist attacks and the other five lost their lives in accidents. The highway provides an alternative route to the landlocked country following Islamabad’s denial of overland access to New Delhi for trade with Kabul.

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed the Geneva Conference last year about how India transported 75,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through Chabahar.

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Golwalkar Mission of Hindu Rashtra

Matadin Bhangi: A Dalit hero of 1857 Revolt

Image
  Matadin Bhangi was one of the Dalit heroes of 1857 Revolt who is seen as the one to have inspired the 1857 War of Independence and not Mangal Pandey that the elite history claims. The narrative for Matadin Bhangi published by D C Dinkar in “Swatantra Sangram Mein Achhuton Ka Yogdan” (1990) is given in the following words:  "There was a factory in Barrackpore where cartridges were manufactured. Many of the workers of this factory belonged to the untouchable communities. One day one of the workers felt thirsty. He asked a soldier for a mug of water. That soldier was Mangal Pandey. Mangal Pandey, a Brahmin, refused him water because the worker was an untouchable. This was very humiliating for the worker. He retaliated to the Brahmin soldier saying, “ Bara awa hai Brahaman ka beta. Jin kartuson ka tum upayog karat ho, unpar gaaye or suar ki charbi lagawal jaat hai, jinhe tum apan daatun se torkar banduk mein bharat ho. O samay tomhar jati aur dharam kahan jawat. Dhikkar tumhare is b
Read more

The Tara Sara Upanishad (The Supreme Goddess and Her Cosmic Essence)

Image
  The Tara Sara Upanishad  (The Supreme Goddess and Her Cosmic Essence) That which is Om is the indestructible, the supreme, and the Brahman. That alone should be worshipped. It is this that is of the eight subtle syllables. The Tara Sara Upanishad is classified as one of 14 Vaishnava Upanishads attached to the Shukla Yajurveda. This Upanishad delves into the worship, symbolism, and spiritual significance of Goddess Tara Sara, guiding seekers on the path of spiritual awakening and liberation. Rooted in the ancient Vedic tradition, this Upanishad continues to hold enduring significance as it unveils the divine mysteries of the cosmic feminine principle. Goddess Tara Sara is revered as the Supreme Goddess, transcending the dualities of existence and representing the ultimate reality. The origins of this Upanishad can be traced back to the ancient Vedic period which dates back to approximately 1500-500 BC. The text is notable for its discussion of Om for yogic meditation as Taraka or that
Read more