Gujarat

Military teams were hunting Monday for people missing after a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river Sunday in the western Indian state of Gujarat, sending hundreds plunging into the water and killing at least 132 in one of the worst accidents in the country in the past decade.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today, dedicated to the nation a 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, believed to be the tallest in the world and said it will be a reminder about the courage of a man who thwarted efforts to disintegrate India.

AFP - The world's biggest statue is rising in a remote corner of India to honour an independence hero but it could quickly be outdone by a monument to a Hindu warrior king in the sea off Mumbai.

In a burst of nationalist fervour, around one billion dollars is being spent on the two giant effigies, each more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed that every home in India will have electricity by December 2018 as he moves to shore up voter support amid doubts over his handling of the economy.

The $2.5 billion scheme announced Sept. 25 would see the country's 40 million households without electricity linked up to power for free.

India has seized a vessel carrying about 1,500 kilograms of heroin worth 35 billion rupees (5.94 million) off the western state of Gujarat, a navy spokesperson said, quoted by Reuters.

Indian navy spokesman D.K.Sharma said in a statement this was their largest single haul of narcotics substances to date.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative has received a big blow, as the Indian Navy refused to use home-made war planes.

GANDINAGHAR - Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic met in Gandhinagar on Tuesday with Indian PM Narendra Modi to discuss bilateral relations and ways of strengthening economic cooperation and trade, Vucic's office said in a statement.

Vucic invited Modi to visit Serbia, noting this would be a new impetus to strengthening the bilateral cooperation at all levels.

GANHDINAGAR - Serbia will ensure the best possible conditions for Indian companies investing in our country, Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic said Tuesday in an address at the Vibrant Gujarat summit in Gandhinagar.

"We will ensure the best conditions for Indian companies and I hope Serbian companies will also find fertile ground here in India for our investments," Vucic said.

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic will be visiting India from January 10 through 13, the Serbian government press office said in a statement.

During the visit, Vucic will meet with Indian PM Narendra Modi, Russian Deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin and other participants of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, whose central focus is "Sustainable Economic and Social Development."

Serbia is "ready to provide the best possible conditions for Indian companies that want to invest in our country," says Aleksandar Vucic.

The Serbian prime minister made the remark during his address at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Gandhinagar, India.