Galwan clash LIVE: All soldiers undergoing treatment are stable, says ANI

Major General-level talks to be held today over India-China face-off. Petrol and diesel prices have again been hiked

Following the death of 20 soldiers in clashes with Chinese troopers in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said “peace-loving” India was capable of giving a fitting reply if provoked. Meanwhile, The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed state-owned BSNL and MTNL to exclude Chinese gearmakers from supplying 4G telecom equipment.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today addressed the press conference on the launch of 'Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan'.

The coronavirus curve in India, meanwhile, is constantly rising. Delhi's health minister, Satyendar Jain, and lawmaker Atishi have also tested positive for Covid-19.

Petrol and diesel prices have again been hiked to Rs 77.81/litre (increase by Re 0.53) and Rs 76.43/litre (increase by Re 0.64) in Delhi.

Stay tuned with Business Standard for the latest news as it happens.

4:22 AM

'Boycott Chinese apps' campaign heats up, may have little economic impact

The border stand-off between India and China has sparked a campaign here that is gaining momentum to boycott Chinese products, including applications like videoconferencing app Zoom, short-video app TikTok, UC Browser, file-sharing app SHAREit, and gaming app PUBG. This comes weeks after the app “Remove Chinese Apps” tried to tap into a similar sentiment amidst escalating tensions at the border. Read more

4:18 AM

Hardening anti-China sentiments prompt phone brands to tone down launches

Over the last few days, #BoycottChineseProducts has been among the top trends on social media, following the stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Ladakh.

 

If visuals of people smashing their Chinese-made smartphones and television (TV) sets are any indicator, the anti-China sentiment has only hardened, prompting smartphone brands to sit up and take note. Read more

 

4:16 AM

Galwan Valley clash: China must keep to its side of LAC, says govt

India on Thursday again accused the Chinese of crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh on June 15. It also asked Beijing to not take any unilateral action to alter the LAC, but said the two sides were in regular touch.

 

Earlier in the day, China said the situation in the area was “generally stable and controllable”, but it stuck to its stated position that the violence on June 15 was caused by Indian frontline forces crossing the LAC. Read more

12:53 AM

Tackling China in Ladakh

New Delhi must reverse years of subservient behaviour towards China, writes Ajai Shukla. Read more here

11:24 PM

India, China working to resolve Galwan standoff through diplomatic, military channels: Official

China and India are working through diplomatic and military channels to de-escalate the tensions as soon as possible and find a solution in a "just manner" following Monday's violent face-off between their armies in the Galwan Valley, a top Chinese official said on Thursday.

 

At least 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in the clashes with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night. China's official media has acknowledged casualties on the Chinese side without mentioning numbers.

 

"The two sides are working to resolve the issue on the ground through military and diplomatic channels," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here answering questions on the tense standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley.

 

China and India have agreed to deal with the "serious matter" caused by the conflict at the Galwan Valley in a "just manner" and both sides are in communication and coordination through diplomatic and military channels to de-escalate the tensions as soon as possible, he said.

 

"Both sides agreed to deal with the serious matter caused by the conflict at the Valley in a just manner, jointly observe the commander level talks consensus and deescalate the tensions as soon as possible and safeguard the peace and tranquillity," he said.

11:10 PM

India has taken Ladakh incident very seriously: Javadekar

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Thursday that India always desires peace but it is not afraid of giving a befitting reply to any provocation.

 

The country has taken the incident in Galwan valley in Ladakh -- where 19 Army jawans and a colonel were killed in a clash with Chinese soldiers -- very seriously, he said here.

 

The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister was speaking to the All India Radio, Bhopal, a PIB release said.

 

"We all pay tributes to the martyred Army officers and soldiers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made clear India's view over what was done by the neighbouring country China," the PIB release quoted him as saying.

10:52 PM

No soldier is critical as of now, all are stable: Army

10:08 PM

Interstate movement of armed forces, CAPFs relaxed in Himachal Pradesh

Interstate movement of personnel of armed forces and Central Armed Police Forces has been relaxed in Himachal Pradesh in the wake of the recent clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, an official said on Thursday.
 

There is now no requirement of any e-pass or permit for interstate movement of the personnel of armed forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in Himachal Pradesh, state Chief Secretary Anil Kumar Khachi said.

9:25 PM

Govt working on steps to cut import dependence on China

The government is working on steps to reduce import dependence on China and boost domestic manufacturing, sources said on Thursday.

 

They said policymakers are not considering any knee-jerk measure against China in the wake of ongoing border tensions between the two countries.

 

China accounts for about 14 per cent of India's imports and is a major supplier for sectors like cell phones, telecom, power, plastic toys and critical pharma ingredients.

 

One of the major steps on which the government is working is to restrict low quality Chinese imports, and for that technical regulations, which includes safety and quality standards, for about 370 products are being formulated with a view to cut imports of these non-essential items from countries like China, they added.

 

These items include chemicals, steel, consumer electronics, heavy machinery, telecom goods, paper, rubber articles, glass, industrial machinery, metal articles, furniture, pharma, fertiliser, food and textiles.

9:25 PM

Calls to boycott Chinese products increase; Union ministers join chorus

The clamour to boycott China-made products grew in the country followingthe killing of 20 Indian Army personnel by Chinese troops in a violent face-off in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, with two Union ministers on Thursday urging people not to go for Chinese products, even asthe Indian Railways has decided to terminate a signalling contract worth Rs 471 crore given to a Chinese company in 2016.

 

In a hardening of stance, sources said the government has decided to ask state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) not to use Chinese telecom gear in its 4G upgradation, which is being supported as part of the company revival package, while traders' body CAIT appealed to celebrities, including Bollywood actors, to stop endorsing products of Chinese brands as a mark of respect for the slain Indian soldiers.

 

Sources privy to discussions being held in Department of Telecom said it has been decided that BSNL will be asked not to use Chinese equipment in the upgradation to 4G network, which is being supported by its revival package.

 

The department is likely to seek tweaking of the tender in this regard. A similar message will be conveyed to Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), sources said.

9:02 PM

Rahul Gandhi writes letters expressing condolences to the families of 20 Indian Army personnel

8:57 PM

Mortal remains of two Odia soldiers killed in Galwan Valley arrive in Odisha

The mortal remains of two soldiers from Odisha, who were killed in a violent clash with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh's Galwan Valley, arrived here by a special aircraft on Thursday.

 

A sombre atmosphere gripped the Biju Patnaik International Airport here as the aircraft carrying the bodies of Naib Subedar Nanduram Soren of Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district and Chandrakanta Pradhan of Biarpanga in Kandhamal landed in the evening. Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik were among a galaxy of dignitaries present at the airport to pay their last tributes to the jawans, who laid down their lives for the country's sovereignty and integrity.

 

Lal and Patnaik paid floral tributes and placed wreaths on the tricolour-wrapped caskets containing the mortal remains of Pradhan (28) and Soren (43) as officials and personnel of the three services -- Army, Air Force and Navy -- were present at the airport.

 

Among those present at the airport were several state ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials and distinguished personalities. A guard of honour was presented as a mark of respect to the two brave soldiers, who made the supreme sacrifice in the Ladakh face-off.

8:54 PM

LIVE: Vigil intensified along China border in Himachal Pradesh

Vigil along the China border has been stepped up in Himachal Pradesh after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent standoff with Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, officials said on Thursday.

 

"The security has been intensified to check any movement of unauthorised people along the Chinese border," a senior police official told IANS.

 

He said the police deployed at the last checkpost at Sumdoh in Spiti subdivision have been told to keep tabs on the movement of the people in the area, especially the shepherds who have been advised not to go towards the forward areas. Sumdoh is located on the border of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts and is manned by the state police. Beyond Sumdoh, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel are deployed.

 

The police have stepped up security in villages located along the border in Kinnaur district. Sources said the ITBP has also strengthened its checkposts at Chitkul, the last Indian village on the border, and Namgya near Khab in Pooh subdivision. Himachal Pradesh shares a porous border with China and smuggling of rare species of fauna and Chinese goods like blankets and thermos flasks across the border is quite frequent.

8:43 PM

Galwan Valley violence: India asks China to confine activities to its side of LAC

India on Thursday asked China to confine its activities to its side of the Line of Actual Control and that it must not take any unilateral action to alter it. Referring to the Galwan Valley clash, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India was strongly committed to ensuring the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

 

Speaking to reporters at an online media briefing, he also said that no Indian soldiers were missing since the Galwan Valley clash on Monday evening.

 

"Given its responsible approach to border management, India is very clear that all its activities are always within the Indian side of the LAC. We expect the Chinese side to also confine its activities to its side of the LAC," Srivastava said.

 

He said the two sides are in regular touch through their respective embassies and foreign offices besides maintaining contacts at the ground level.

 

8:29 PM

Galwan Valley violence: Kolkata's Chinese community wary of 1962 Indo-China war rerun

Cheng Lee (67), a Chinese Indian, has been flipping television news channels at his home in the city since Tuesday trying to keep track of the Sino-India standoff in faraway Ladakh, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed on June 15. He is not alone. The Chinese community in the city is one of the largest in the country and is apprehensive that the escalation of the conflict between the two Asian giants would hamper their lives and livelihood.

Lee (name changed), like other seniors of his community, has a fervent prayer for peace on his lips. He does not want a rerun of the 1962 Indo-China war, when he had to leave the city that he calls home following a backlash against the Chinese community.

"I was nine years old when the 1962 war took place. I vividly remember the day in October when some people pelted stones at our house and asked us to leave the country. A few days later, my father and uncle were detained by police. My mother took me and my younger brother away to Darjeeling, where we lived for a year," Lee told PTI on Thursday.

"We do not want a rerun of that situation. We do not want to speak about it," said Lee, who represents the third generation of his family in the city. He runs a footwear shop that stands cheek by jowl with similar ones owned by members of the Chinese Indian community in central Kolkata.

There are around 4,000 Chinese left in the city, down from 20,000 as most of them migrated to Hong Kong, Canada and Australia after the 1962 war. The community is apprehensive of even speaking about the escalation of tension between the two countries. Its members do not want to attract attention as they fear a backlash in view of the situation.