NEW DELHI, Dec 18: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Thursday conferred the ‘The First Class of the Order of Oman’, the country’s national honour. This was the 29th such global honor for PM Modi.
The honor has previously been conferred to several famed recipients, including Queen Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela, Queen Maxim, Emperor Akihito and King Abdullah of Jordan.
PM Modi landed in Oman on Wednesday, on the last leg of his three-nation tour. He was welcomed by Sultan Haitham bin Tarik at Al Baraka Palace in Muscat before the bilateral meeting between the two leaders.
PM Modi and Sultan Haitham bin Tarik held talks earlier on Thursday followed by India and Oman inking a free trade agreement. During the bilateral meeting, both leaders welcomed the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) while affirming that it would strengthen the India-Oman strategic partnership.
“The agreement will increase the trade between India and Oman, boost investment, catalyse economic diversification, unlock opportunities in all major sectors of the economy, enhance economic growth and generate employment,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
“For people, CEPA means more jobs, better market access for businesses, stronger supply chains and greater economic opportunities on both sides,” Jaiswal added. The MEA spokesperson further said PM Modi and Sultan Haitham had “exchanged views on a wide range of topics, including defense and security, trade and investment, energy and agriculture, technology and emerging and new fields, culture and people-to-people relations, and more.” The leaders also discussed issues of regional and global interest, Jaiswal said in a post on X.
Earlier on Thursday, the Prime Minister also participated in the India-Oman Business Forum where Mr Modi highlighted several reforms initiated by India in the last 11 years, which have made it one of the most competitive markets in the world.
Meanwhile, Parliament on Thursday passed the nuclear energy bill, with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod to the legislation that seeks to open the tightly-controlled civil nuclear sector for private participation.
The Upper House passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill by a voice vote. It was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Minister of State, Department of Atomic Energy, Jitendra Singh said nuclear was a reliable 24×7 power supply source, which was not so in the case of other renewable energy options.
He asserted that no compromise would be made with the safeguard mechanism in place. Responding to a discussion on the Bill, Mr Singh alleged fears of radiation, saying so far there has been no report of any radiation-related hazards to the public.
(Rohit Kumar)
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