Why did Modi go to Brunei, a small Islamic country?: population of only 4 lakhs, per capita income 8 times higher than India, no taxes .. yet education- free treatment; How many Hindus are there?

Borneo is an island 7,486 km from India. It is inhabited by three countries, one of which is Brunei. This is an Islamic country, where only 4 lakh people live. PM Modi is visiting this country. King Hasanal Bolkia here invited Prime Minister Modi. Till date no Prime Minister of India has visited Brunei. Then why did Modi reach this country surrounded by the South China Sea on one side and Malaysia on the other? In the story, learn why tiny Sharia-compliant Brunei became important to India, how Brunei provides free education and treatment to people without charging taxes… First, learn about the luxurious life of the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkeya Ibni Umar Ali Saifuddin is the 29th Sultan of Brunei. After the departure of the British in 1984, he has also been the Prime Minister of Brunei. Bolkeia is the longest-reigning monarch since Queen Elizabeth II. He celebrated his golden jubilee of 50 years of rule in 2017. In a small country like Brunei, the Sultan is the most powerful person as well as one of the richest monarchs. By 1980 he was the richest man in the world. According to Forbes, Bolkeya's net worth in 2008 was Rs 1.4 lakh crore. According to The Times UK, Bolkeya spends around Rs 16 lakh on her haircut. His hair stylist is called twice a month by private chartered plane. According to Daily Mail, the Sultan bought himself a Boeing 747 aircraft, which is worth around 400 million dollars or around 3,000 crore rupees. Interestingly, he spent 989 thousand crore rupees separately on this. That is, more accessories than the aircraft were worth were installed, including gold wash basins and luxurious gold-plated windows. The floor of this aircraft is carpeted with gold wires, which is handmade. The luxury of the Sultan can be estimated from the fact that after becoming king, he built a palace worth 50 billion rupees. This palace is known as “Istana Nurul Iman”. The palace has a garage for keeping 800 cars. The special thing is that the walls of this palace are covered with gold. Spread over an area of ​​20 lakh square feet, this palace is also listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Oil is the backbone of Brunei's economy Oil was discovered in the Seria region of Brunei in 1929. The first oil well in Brunei was drilled by the British Malayan Petroleum Company, named Series-1. This well is now known as the Royal Dutch Shell. The discovery of oil established Brunei as an important oil producing country. Oil and natural gas production is the backbone of Brunei's economy. The total GDP of Brunei is 1668.15 million US dollars. More than half of the country's total GDP comes from oil and gas exports. Oil exports have made Brunei one of the top per capita income countries in the world. Due to the country's strong economy, education and health facilities are available here for free. Brunei has invested its oil revenues in various sectors. Due to this, its economy is no longer dependent only on oil. However, a large part of the economy still comes from oil. Due to its stable economy, Brunei is a major player in Southeast Asian regional politics. Brunei is known as a tax haven Brunei is known as a tax haven because of its tax policy and secrecy laws. Because of this, business investors are attracted to Brunei. There is no personal income tax in Brunei. This rule applies to both citizens and foreigners residing in the country. Therefore, it becomes special for people who want to avoid paying income tax. On the other hand, corporate tax here is also only 18.5%. Also, companies involved in international trade and shipping receive corporate tax exemptions or pay significantly lower taxes. This helps foreign companies to start their business in Brunei. There is no tax on investment profits and inheritance in the country. Apart from this, Brunei has enacted strict banking secrecy laws. This protects the privacy of account holders. Because of this, foreign tax agencies cannot access information on accounts present in Brunei. This is why people consider it safe to keep money in their accounts here. Currency exchange is not monitored in Brunei. Due to this, it becomes easier to take capital out of the country and bring it back into the country. Brunei is a small Islamic country. The full name of Brunei is Brunei Darussalam. It is a small country in Southeast Asia, located on the island of Borneo. Brunei covers a total area of ​​5765 square kilometers. This country is smaller than Chennai in India. The capital of this country is Bandar Seri Begawan. The total population of Brunei was 4 lakh. Out of which about 2 lakh people live in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. How many Indians live in Brunei? Both India and Brunei are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Brunei is one of those countries where Indians are making history. Most Indians here are associated with health, education and energy sectors. According to the official website of the Indian High Commission, 14,500 Indians work here. It has more teachers and doctors. There are very few followers of Hinduism in Brunei. Despite secularism and cultural diversity, the Hindu population is very small. How many temples are there in Brunei The number of Hindu temples is limited in terms of religious scene. The religious identity of the country of Brunei is Islam and the majority of the people of the country are also Muslims. Although Islam predominates, religious sites exist for followers of other religions. There are currently two major Hindu temples in Brunei, the first being the Shiva Temple and the second being the Ram Temple. Shiva Mandir (Sri Bhadra Kali Mandir): This temple is built in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. The temple is an important religious site mainly for the people of the local Indian community. Many Hindu festivals and worship rituals are organized in this temple. Ram Mandir (Sri Ram Mandir): This temple is also located in Bandar Seri Begwan and is a very important place for Hindu religious activities. The temple also hosts special pujas and festivals, which are important to the Hindu community. Apart from these temples, there are no other religious places for followers of Hinduism in Brunei. Some important questions related to Prime Minister Modi's visit to Brunei – Answers Question 1: Why did PM Modi go to Brunei? Answer: To find out the answer to this question, we spoke to Niranjan Chandrasekhar Oak, an expert on South-East Asian countries. Niranjan Manohar Parrikar is a Research Analyst at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis, New Delhi. In response to this question, he says that recently the presidents of Vietnam and Malaysia visited India. Indian President Draupadi Murmu has also returned from a visit to Timor-Leste. Now Prime Minister Modi is on a tour of Brunei. After this he will go to Singapore. This shows how much importance India attaches to the South-East Asian region. Last year, former secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Saurabh Kumar went to Brunei with a delegation. Here he participated in the meeting of foreign ministries. It was then decided between the two countries that India and Brunei would celebrate the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. For this reason Prime Minister Modi has gone to Brunei. Question 2: Why is this visit special from India's point of view? Answer : Niranjan says that Brunei is special for India for 4 important reasons namely defence, trade, energy and space technology. Apart from this, the mutual relationship between the citizens of the two countries is also special. Indians living in Brunei are doing better there. Apart from this, Brunei is an important partner for India in the field of space technology. When India launches satellites, India has built ground stations at many places for their tracking. Keeping this in mind, India signed an MOU with Brunei in 2018. It was named Cooperation in Elementary Tracking and Command Station for Satellites. Currently this station is working well for India. In this context the importance of Brunei increases. In return, India is providing training related to space technology to the people of Brunei. Brunei is an important energy partner of India. Brunei exports oil to India. However, in recent times, India's oil purchases with Brunei have decreased due to increased oil imports from Russia. But during this visit of the Prime Minister, an agreement can be reached between the two countries regarding gas. On the other hand, in the defense sector, Indian Navy ships continue to visit Brunei. Taking this partnership further, India is going to establish a Joint Working Group on Defense with Brunei. This group will also be established during this tour. Question 3: Is this visit taking place in the context of China and the South China Sea dispute? Answer: According to Niranjan, from India's point of view, Brunei does not play a significant role in the South China Sea. However, Brunei is also among the countries in dispute with China over the South China Sea. But in this regard, Brunei and China do not see the same conflict as China sees with the Philippines. Brunei also does not seem to oppose China. However, this does not mean that Brunei has accepted China's claim. On the other hand, India also talks about a peaceful solution to the South China Sea in accordance with international norms. It is possible that India will repeat this in a joint statement issued by both countries after this visit. In such a situation, it would be wrong to say that this visit is being made with China in mind. The tour is part of India's Act East policy. Especially in terms of India's relations with ASEAN countries. Question 4: How important is this visit for India's defense exports? Answer: India is trying to boost its defense exports. India is trying to export as much defense material as possible under Atmanirbhar India. During this visit, there is talk of forming a joint working group of defense between the two countries. It also aims to promote India's defense exports. Also check out this Brunei-related information Omar Ali Mosque Built Like the Taj Mahal The Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei is one of the most beautiful mosques in South-East Asia. It is built like the Taj Mahal of India. Which is inspired by Mughal architecture. It was built in 1958. It was created by Italian designers and British engineers. It is named after Omar Ali Saifuddin III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei. Marble was imported from Italy for the construction of the mosque. Due to which it looks white like Taj Mahal. The mosque is topped by a golden dome, which is visible from many parts of the city. The minarets of the mosque are also inspired by Mughal architecture. The interior of the mosque is also magnificent. The interior features chandeliers imported from England, carpets imported from Saudi Arabia and stained glass windows imported from Italy. However, the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Humayun in memory of his wife. While this mosque is a place of worship.

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