The Third Indo-Bangladesh Trade Fair 2012 being organized by the India Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry is set to begin in Dhaka on Thursday.

The fair will be inaugurated by Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith. Bangladesh Minister for Industries Mr. Dilip Barua, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Mr. Nabam Tuki and Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mr. Mukul Sangma and High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Mr. Pankaj Saran are also scheduled to address the inaugural ceremony.

A business delegation from India and a delegation of ministers and government officials from the North Eastern states are also scheduled to participate in the fair in Dhaka.

After months of ordeal, most of the Indian workers employed at a cement plant in Sumbe in Angola have been paid part of their pending dues. The redressal of grievances of around 1,100 Indian workers by Angolan authorities came after External Affairs Minister S M Krishna spoke to his Angolan counterpart Georges Chickoty asking him to address the issue.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said all outstanding overtime dues for February, 2012 have been paid in US dollars to all the workers present


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overnment has warned its officers on interacting with staff of foreign embassies. In a strongly worded letter, Union Home Secretary R K Singh told Secretaries of all ministries and departments that specific instances have come to the notice where officers have been in touch with embassy officials or staffers of other countries. He said this is in contravention of the laid rules and circulars.

Singh asked the Secretaries to advice all officers to strictly follow the existing rules and guidelines.
Government warns its officers not to  hobnob(मेलजोल रखना,rub elbows with) with the embassies

In Mizoram, a Mini Pasport Office or Seva Kendra in Aizawl would soon be upgraded and authorised to issue passports without sending the applications to the Regional Passport Office in Guwahati. Talking to media persons in Aizawl, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai on Tuesday said, Aizawl office would be expected to issue passports by the end of the year. 
Mathai, was in Aizawl as leader of the Indian delegation to visit Mizoram jointly with the Myanmar delegation led by Myanmarese Ambassador to India U Zin Yaw to inspect the Kaladan Multi Modal Transport Project linking Myanmar's Sittwe port and Kaladan river of Mizoram. He said that Mizoram would play an important role in the Look East Policy of the Centre.

External Affairs Minister S.M Krishna today said, the Embassies have been asked to be pro-active in dealing with the difficulties faced by Indians living abroad. Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Krishna said, the Indian missions and posts have Consular or Community welfare Wings with designated officers to attend to the welfare issues of distressed Indian nationals. 

He said, they may be contacted at any time, and also on holidays for advice and assistance. He said instructions have also been issued to set up a well established mechanism to improve accountability of the concerned Mission officers regarding redressal of grievances of Indian nationals. Mr. Krishna, also expressed satisfaction on the return of the two Indian Children from Norway.

External Affairs Minister S.M Krishna on Monday said that the issue relating to the Italian vessel Enrica Lexie, involved in a shoot out that killed two fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, will not affect the cordial relations between the two countries.

, he said the country's cordial relations with Italy will continue and steps will be taken to further strengthen it. He said the union government is not inclined to go beyond the state government's stand on the issue.

The Minister said steps have been taken to minimize the menace of Somalian pirates, and he added that more needs to be done in this regard. He said the government is thinking of doing away the subsidy content of the Haj pilgrimage.
. He also inaugurated 13 Passport Seva Kendras in the state.

In Nepal, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has dismissed Minister for Agriculture and Co-operatives , Nandan Kumar Datta. According to a press statement isued by the President’s office , the prime minister informed the head of state about the dismissal of the Mr. Datta .The Prime Minister’s decision follows a recommendation by majority of the former minister’s party members yesterday to sack Datta . General- Secretary of the party Atma Ram Sah said that the decision was made for not working as per the party’s instructions.

This is the second time in a week Prime Minister Bhattarai has sacked a minister from his cabinet. Earlier he dismissed Minister for Labour and Transport Management Sarita Giri on refusing to cancel the transfer of Chief of the foreign Employment Department on Friday