Aditi Arya, 21 years old from Delhi, was crowned FBB Femina Miss India 2015 at the annual ceremony held on March 28th at Mumbai. Aditi, a research analyst and a Business Studies graduate from Delhi University earned herself the right to represent India at Miss World 2015 to be held in December. She will try to be a successor of present Miss World Rolene Strauss. Aishwarya Rai from India and Miss World winner 2014 is considered among the most beautiful Miss World ever. Crowned as 1st and 2nd runner-ups respectively were Aafreen Rachel Vaz and Vartika Singh. Vartika Singh hails from Lucknow, my hometown. She works with Public health department of World Bank as a consultant. The Miss India Organization will announce soon in which international events they will compete. In all likelihood, Afreen will represent India at Miss Earth 2015 and Vartika will go to Miss Grand International.
The show was hosted by the exuberant Manish Paul who kept the audience entertained along with the gorgeous Neha Dhupia joining him for a segment. Touted as the most glamorous and credible beauty pageant of the country, fbb Femina Miss India 2015 saw electrifying performances by Bollywood stars- Kareena Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandes, Shahid Kapoor and Famous singers like Kanika Kapoor, Meet Brothers, and Shalmali Kholgade. The 52nd year of fbb Femina Miss India 2015 was celebrated with glamour and panache.
Aditi Arya was also the winner of Miss Delhi, the same title that Koyal Rana , Miss India 2014 had won before winning the national pageant.
The Grand Finale was judged by eminent personalities from the industry like John Abraham, Manisha Koirala, Sonu Nigam, Anil Kapoor, Feroz Nadiadwala, Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla, Shilpa Shetty, Sonali Bendre, Shiamak Davar and Chitrangada Singh. The glorious Red Carpet event was bustling with the creme da la creme from the fashion, glamour and entertainment industry with names like Manasvi Mamgai, Rocky S, Naseerudin Shah, Paresh Rawal and many more.
India has 5 Miss World crown to its credit second only to Venezuela which has 6. Aishwaraya Rai from India and Miss World 2014 is considered the most beautiful Miss World so far. Best of Luck to Aditi Arya, Afreen Vaz and Vartika Singh.
As Narendra Modi embarked on his official trip to three
Indian Ocean sojourn, all eyes are now set to the changing dynamics of the
Indian Ocean. Srilanka, also called the Emerald Island is located very
strategically in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka is barely a few tens of miles from
the vital sea routes. It is located almost mid-way between the two choke points
of the world, the Strait of Hormuz and the Malacca Strait. His visit to
Srilanka, first for an Indian Prime Minister in 28 years has ushered a new
phase in India-Srilanka relations. Ironically, Srilanka is just 27 miles from
India but it took 28 years for a Prime Minister to visit Sri Lanka. Being Sri
Lanka’s only neighbor, India should have sought to engage Sri Lanka more. But
that was not be. In Sri Lanka, this snub was seen as the government’s attempt
to appease the Tamil sentiments. Narendra Modi is there to make up for the last
decade. Unfortunately in the same period China had made huge inroad. But all
that is set to change now. China has already made huge inroads in our
neighborhood. Seen in this context this visit of Narendra Modi becomes
extremely important.
This visit becomes even more important in context of
increasing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka. Of late, China has been strengthening its relations with littoral states
(Bordering the Indian Ocean) in the Indian Ocean Region, particularly Sri
Lanka, as part of its “String of Pearls” diplomacy.
Sri Lankahad
initially offered the Hambantoota Port development project to India but India
backed off and seizing the opportunity China stepped in. It would be regretted
for long in the Indian Diplomatic circles. Last September, two Chinese
(non-nuclear) submarines docked at a Sri Lankan, much to displeasure of India.
Though it was said by the Chinese that it was just a usual stop but everyone
knows that it was a cover up. Such projects, like the Gwadar project in
Pakistan are often set up with military goals in mind.Underlining that the Indian Ocean Region sits atop
policy priorities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the time had
come for a “strong grouping around the Indian Ocean” and
that India will
“pursue with this new vigor in the years ahead”.Modi said
his government’s vision for the Indian Ocean was rooted in
“advancing cooperation in our region” and to use “our capabilities for the
benefit of all in our common maritime home”.
Furthermore, In Seychelles Narendra Modi unveiled the Plaque
and Operationalized the Radar for CSRS (Coastal Surveillance Radar System) -
India-Seychelles Cooperation Project. It has already caused much tension in our
western and Eastern neighbor.
Why
Indian Ocean is central to our Security
The readers of Indian history
would well realize that Indian Ocean has been pivotal in India’s growth. Indian
Ocean is the only ocean in the world name after a country. In words Nehru “History
has shown that whatever power controls the Indian Ocean has, in the first
instance, India’s sea-borne trade at her mercy and, in the second, India’s very
independence itself.”
In past centuries whichever power
had control over its sea lanes more or less controlled India's trade. First it
was the Portuguese (15th century) then English. Back in 1686 when British tried
to assert their power in India for the first time they were beaten by Mughals
but still their rights to trade in India were not taken away (which were issued
by Jahangir in 1686), largely because Mughals were aware that British could
hurt India's trade in the Ocean as they were controlling it at that time.
Indian Ocean is the only ocean in this world named after a country and it
happened for a reason.
Furthermore, in a letter to
London a high ranking official in India said, back in 19th century that we will
be able to keep India under our control until we are the most supreme naval
force. It happened just the way he said. 1946 there was a mutiny in Indian's
Navy and that has been underplayed by our historians. British had realized
helped by many other concurrent events that now their time was over.
Indian
Ocean: Changing Dynamics
As Indians we associate a lot of
pride with it. It was through its sea routes that India’s trade happened. A
trade that was once called the trade of the world and helped us emerge as the
largest economy pre industrial revolution times. Keeping in mind the increased
focus of China and its ambitious but surreptitious designs like Maritimes silk
route, it has become imperative for India to shift its focus to Indian Ocean as
well, if not more than certainly as much as its land frontiers.
Narendra Modi visited Indian
Ocean region and its small but strategically located islands. He covered Seychelles,
Mauritius and Sri Lanka. A day before the Prime Minister began his tour to the
Indian Ocean Region, both the battle group along with warships from Western
fleet, armed with fighter jets, helicopters, reconnaissance planes, missiles
and other weaponry reached Kochi. It marks an ambitious and well-timed
departure from its earlier stand “Indian Ocean as a Zone of peace”. Narendra
Modi and his team of advisors led by NSA Ajit Dhoval realize it well that
theory cannot always be put to practice.
All these three nations are
considered vital for maritime security, particularly with the ever present
pirates in the region. The Indian Ocean is going to be the most important ocean
with concentration of most important energy routes between Strait of Malacca to
the Gulf of Aden, an area which is full of maritime activities as 70 per cent
of the oil container traffic passes through.
Off late, China has been
deepening its relations with littoral (bordering) states to the Indian Ocean Region,
particularly Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles as part of its String of
Pearls diplomacy to counter India’s Look East Policy, which is often described
as Encircle China policy by Beijing.
The Indian Ocean promises to shape the wider geopolitics and
balance of power in Asia and beyond. India, in context of Chinese plans like
Maritime Silk Route and its ‘development push’ in Indian Ocean region needs to
act fast.
Miss India remains a dream that many vie for India.
Miss India 2015 is going to take place tomorrow on March 28th. As
for my readers who would be wondering why I often switch from climate change
and international readers to world of beauty. The reason is the viewership it
has and the number of views is staggering for big ones like Miss Universe
2014/2015 and Miss World. Miss India is
a very respectable name in the world of beauty. India brings a flavor to this
world which is hot as Indian spices and intriguing like the country itself.
With a very decent rate of predicting the winners and semifinalists and finalists I always make a post with the favorites. But this year I am doing so for the want of time. But still I will name my sentimental favorite. This year my favorite for the coveted title is Miss
Deekhsa Kausal.
Deeksha has a great body frame and stand towering at
5 feet 11. Her beauty is both Indian and western. To complement it she has good
articulation and is compendious in her answers.
My another sentimental favorite is my city girl
Vartika Singh who was a finalist at Miss Diva 2014.
Miss India has a very good record at Miss World with 5 wins so far and quite a few runners ups and semifinalists. At the most recent event India won Miss Asia title, continental queen of Asia.
Miss World 2015 is Rolene Strauss and Deeksha resembles her in beauty but I find her beauty more intriguing just the kind I like.
Defeat of England
Cricket team at the hands of Bangladesh at the recent England VS Bangladesh
game has rung alarm bell for the England Cricket team. With the West Indies
tour and a series against Australia round the corner, many English Cricket fans
have reasons to worry. The recent loss of England team to Bangladesh at the
World Cup 2015 was its second straight loss to Bangladesh. They had lost their
game against Bangladesh in the 2011 Edition as well.
Ironically ECB had
suggested in past that Teams like Bangladesh should play qualifiers before the
World Cup. This was not received well in the cricket crazy nation.
England is one of the most prolific cricket teams alongside Australia. England is home of cricket and Lords is rightly called The Mecca of Cricket. The game of Cricket has its origins in southern England.
England cricket team is
the eternal bridesmaid at the world cup with three runners up trophies failing
to win it even once. Its last final appearance came in 1992. The other two are
1979 and 1987. At the second most
important event the ICC Champions trophy, the story is same with two final
appearances. Though it does have ICC World Twenty20 2010 crown under its belt
but its overall record at big events is a huge disappointment for a country
where Cricket was first played.
The recent fiasco at
the World Cup 2015 has led many English Cricket fans ask why the present coach
should be retained. It has received a flak back home with sizeable reporting of
the defeat and subsequent ouster from the World Cup 2015 in all the leading
newspapers. Almost all the newspapers have covered the story doing their
analysis to determine what has gone wrong. As usual keeping the tradition alive
most articles sound like most British people, cynical and satirical. The
Guardian reports,”And
so with Peter Moores, whose suggestion that he’d need
to “look at the data” in the wake of England’s
World Cup exit at the hands of Bangladesh has failed
to cut his detractors off at the pass. Indeed, it has spawned a derision-fest
the England coach might have modelled even without the aid of technology. Was
275 chaseable ? Computer says no.”
Well, we hope England
Cricket would recover from this bad phase soon. It would good for Cricket, a
game which has been losing ground to Football in England.
In a brilliant move to address multifold
problems of Indian agriculture Modi government on Thursday launched a
nationwide scheme “Soil Health Card” from Suratgarh in Rajasthan. Indian
agriculture has not witnessed the optimum growth potential it is capable of
achieving. While the problems are many, a large part of it has to do with irrational
use of fertilizers. With this well needed move the Modi government aims to cut
the fertilizer subsidy bill and subsequently the fiscal deficit.
The proposed “Soil Health
Card” will entail the characteristics of soil, both Physical and Chemical.
Physical characteristics include texture, compaction, color and depth.
The Soil Card Scheme
proposes increasing the soil testing laboratories from about 1200 to 4700. This
includes increasing mobile laboratories as well.
Soil testing
laboratories typically charge 150 rupees for basic parameters. For micro
nutrients it can cost 100 rupees per parameter.
Chemical
characteristics include PH value and the presence of nutrients like Nitrogen,
Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Sulphur etc.
The quality and yield
of the crop depends significantly on the supply of these nutrients from the
soil. Irrational use of fertilizers not only impacts the crop quality and yield
negatively but also increases the Fiscal deficit as Fertilizer subsidy is a big
part of it. Once the farmer has beforehand information about the nature of soil,
he/she can make appropriate use of fertilizers and manure. For instance, if the
soil is Acidic then Lime based nutrients can be applied. Similarly for Alkaline
and Saline soils gypsum based fertilizer should be applied. It will also help
in decreasing the import bill on coal and other inputs like Gypsum which are
imported from abroad.
Similarly it will help
the farmers make more informed and rational choices. The use of fertilizers
also depends on the choice of crop. For Rice, Nitrogen based fertilizer is
required more, whereas for Pulses Phosphorus is more required. Similarly for
Potato, Banana and Pineapple, Potassium is indispensable. Further, this could
lead to customized products tailored for specific regions in other words
growing crops which are suitable for the soil and climatic conditions of the
region. Punjab and Rajasthan have started facing problems because of
unscientific use of fertilizers. Punjab in particular is worst hit by it
leading to many health problems as well.
As underlined by the recent Economic Survey,
the ratio of fertilizer use is heavily flawed. The primary nutrients of the
soil are Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium and the ideal ratio of use (in
general, it may vary according to locality) is 4:2:1. However the actual ratio
(as per Economic Survey 2013) 8:3.2:1,
in other words Urea is being used excessively, Urea is a Nitrogen based
fertilizer. This also increases Coal import because Coal is used as fuel while
making Urea, thereby upsetting the Current Account Deficit. Natural gas is also
used in manufacture of fertilizers. Also this is subsidized by the government
so the excess use of it increases the Subsidy bill of the government. Fertilizer
subsidy is bigger than Fuel subsidy.
Hence it is a very well
thought about move that will not only help our farmers in achieving the maximum
potential but also decrease the Fiscal Deficit and Current Account Deficit by
rationalizing the use of fertilizers.
Indian agriculture
still employs about 55% of our workforce. Many people still practice
subsistence based agriculture, in other words they produce mostly for their own
use and not much left to be sold in the market. Though Modi Government has made
grand plans to make India a manufacturing hub but in this process we cannot
ignore agriculture sector. Agriculture provides the raw material to be used in
many other sectors like textile. 1 % growth in agriculture production leads to
more growth in many other sectors. Manufacturing sector will take time to be
robust enough to employ our huge workforce. Furthermore, we would always need a
vibrant agriculture sector as we cannot rely on our food needs on any other
country/countries.
We need to
substantially increase our food production, make it diverse and also change its
nature from subsistence based to commercially viable. This would need providing
the farmers adequate support, which has been there but has not been
rationalized. Now, with Narendra Modi’s pragmatic leadership we hope that
agriculture would stop lagging and become revenue earning for the country.
As explained in the
passages above, the intention of the government is to improve soil health and
contain the mounting fertilizer subsidy bill, which is fully provided for and
comes to 100,000 crore annually. Two third of this amount is Urea alone.
With this decision,
Modi Government has sought to address many challenges. Eyeing the Subsidy bill,
the Fiscal Deficit and the Current Account Deficit as well.
The vision of Narendra
Modi is commendable, it has been rationalizing the resource base of the country
to remove the impediments and make the best use of available resources. For More such Articles on India check this link : http://thekarmayogi.com/
The pretext to this piece of writing is Narendra Modi’s
statement and vision about Indian Ocean “To me the blue chakra or wheel in India’s national flag
represents the potential of Blue Revolution or the Ocean Economy. That is how
central the Ocean Economy is to us”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation Indian Ocean
tour stands in testimony to this region’s critical importance for Indian
security. He has once again upset China’s silk route plans and its maritime
ambitions. If China gains the upper hand in the Indian Ocean region, it will
mark the end of India’s great-power ambitions. India would merely a regional
power which would be detrimental to our ambitions. In a major fillip for India
in the Indian Ocean, we bagged two important ''infrastructure development
rights'' for two islands in the region - Agalega from Mauritius and Assumption
from Seychelles. New Delhi marked its Indian Ocean presence with Modi offering
to set up joint working groups with the two blue economies in the region to
harness potential for economic cooperation.
Underlining that the Indian Ocean Region sits atop
policy priorities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the time had
come for a “strong grouping around the Indian Ocean” and
that India will
“pursue with this new vigor in the years ahead”.Modi said
his government’s vision for the Indian Ocean was rooted in
“advancing cooperation in our region” and to use “our capabilities for the
benefit of all in our common maritime home”.
Furthermore, In Seychelles Narendra Modi unveiled the Plaque
and Operationalized the Radar for CSRS (Coastal Surveillance Radar System) -
India-Seychelles Cooperation Project. It has already caused much tension in our
western and Eastern neighbor.
Why
Indian Ocean is central to our Security
The readers of Indian history
would well realize that Indian Ocean has been pivotal in India’s growth. Indian
Ocean is the only ocean in the world name after a country. In words Nehru “History
has shown that whatever power controls the Indian Ocean has, in the first
instance, India’s sea-borne trade at her mercy and, in the second, India’s very
independence itself.”
In past centuries whichever power
had control over its sea lanes more or less controlled India's trade. First it
was the Portuguese (15th century) then English. Back in 1686 when British tried
to assert their power in India for the first time they were beaten by Mughals
but still their rights to trade in India were not taken away (which were issued
by Jahangir in 1686), largely because Mughals were aware that British could
hurt India's trade in the Ocean as they were controlling it at that time.
Indian Ocean is the only ocean in this world named after a country and it
happened for a reason.
Furthermore, in a letter to
London a high ranking official in India said, back in 19th century that we will
be able to keep India under our control until we are the most supreme naval
force. It happened just the way he said. 1946 there was a mutiny in Indian's
Navy and that has been underplayed by our historians. British had realized
helped by many other concurrent events that now their time was over.
Indian
Ocean: Changing Dynamics
As Indians we associate a lot of
pride with it. It was through its sea routes that India’s trade happened. A
trade that was once called the trade of the world and helped us emerge as the
largest economy pre industrial revolution times. Keeping in mind the increased
focus of China and its ambitious but surreptitious designs like Maritimes silk
route, it has become imperative for India to shift its focus to Indian Ocean as
well, if not more than certainly as much as its land frontiers.
Narendra Modi visited Indian
Ocean region and its small but strategically located islands. He covered Seychelles,
Mauritius and Sri Lanka. A day before the Prime Minister began his tour to the
Indian Ocean Region, both the battle group along with warships from Western
fleet, armed with fighter jets, helicopters, reconnaissance planes, missiles
and other weaponry reached Kochi. It marks an ambitious and well-timed
departure from its earlier stand “Indian Ocean as a Zone of peace”. Narendra
Modi and his team of advisors led by NSA Ajit Dhoval realize it well that
theory cannot always be put to practice.
All these three nations are
considered vital for maritime security, particularly with the ever present
pirates in the region. The Indian Ocean is going to be the most important ocean
with concentration of most important energy routes between Strait of Malacca to
the Gulf of Aden, an area which is full of maritime activities as 70 per cent
of the oil container traffic passes through.
Off late, China has been
deepening its relations with littoral (bordering) states to the Indian Ocean Region,
particularly Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles as part of its String of
Pearls diplomacy to counter India’s Look East Policy, which is often described
as Encircle China policy by Beijing.
The Indian Ocean promises to shape the wider geopolitics and
balance of power in Asia and beyond. India, in context of Chinese plans like
Maritime Silk Route and its ‘development push’ in Indian Ocean region needs to
act fast.
We
must capitalize on our geographic advantage
Blessed by a very suitable
Geography and its advantages India has an inherent maritime advantages. Due to
our troubled relation with Pakistan and China our maritime advantages have not
been properly utilized, we have not created deep assets in the region. To make
matters worse India diplomatically neglected the Indian Ocean region in the
25-year period from 1989 till now. India’s long neglect has become China’s
strategic gain. Narendra Modi is the first prime minister to visit Seychelles
in 34 years and Sri Lanka in 28 years.
China helped by its deep pockets has sought to ‘help’ the littoral states in
the region, it has even tried to seek possibilities of a naval frontier to
neutralize India’s natural geographic advantage.
Alongside developing strategic assets in the region India
needs to significantly modernize its naval power. India should have the power
to holdback container traffic to China choking its Energy lines should a war be
imposed on us.
Takeaways for India
ØIndia signed an MoU with Mauritius for setting
up and upgrading infrastructure for improving sea and air connectivity at the
outer island of Mauritius
Ø
India signed another MoU with Mauritius which will provide an extensive
framework for cooperation in the field of ocean economy. It will seek
opportunities in the field of marine resources, fisheries, green tourism,
research and development of ocean technology, exchange of experts and other
related activities.
ØModi also commissioned the India-built coast
ship Barracuda in Mauritius on the second leg of his three-nation visit.
ØIn Seychelles Narendra Modi unveiled the Plaque
and Operationalized the Radar for CSRS (Coastal Surveillance Radar System) -
India-Seychelles Cooperation Project. It will add a lot to India’s surveillance
capabilities in the region.
Summarizing
Acting to correct the loss of the past and the time wasted
on account of previous government’s failure, Modi government has sought to
address the issue by capitalizing on cultural links helped by his famous Charm
offensive. Taking a note India’s primacy
of Indian Ocean for India's security and for maintaining peace and stability in
the region Narendra Modi has stressed that the ''Indian Ocean was and is going to be India's Ocean''. The competition
for influence in the Indian Ocean is pivotal to our global power ambitions. This
is a contest India cannot afford to lose.
For more such articles go to : http://thekarmayogi.com/
As the country remembers Bhagat Singh, I would like share something with you all. There were accusations that Gandhi didn't do enough to prevent his 'shahdat'. The truth is that even if Gandhi had tried (if at all ) , the British would not have commuted his death sentence. The reason being his strength of character, courage and his intellect.
To British, he was more dangerous that Gandhi. For a 23 year old, he was far more courageous, passionate and had everything that a leader needed. Back in those days of Pax Britannica ( the time of their hegemony), when not many would dare to challenge the British like he did, killing Saunders. To make the matters worse for British, he was as intellectual as anybody else in the congress. The difference was that he was brave with a vision and spirit that Angrez could not dominate. He was in the same league as Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Vallabh Bhai Patel and Subhash Chandra Bose , he always put his country first, unlike the self loving Nehru, the narcissistic for whom Gandhi made many short sighted decisions . The irony is that this country (at least in the Congress time) values self loving people like Nehru more than those who actually lived for the country and died for the country. India needs to value the contributions of Patel , maulana Azad and many other heroes/virago who were far more capable than Gandhi-Nehru clan.
Bhagat Singh attained martyrdom on this day, March 31st 1931. His legacy remains alive and would be so, forever.
IMF, International
Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has lauded India as the “bright spot” of
the global economy on Monday ahead of talks in New Delhi with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. She was on a two day visit to India, on course of which she met
RBI chief, Finance Minister and man at the mission Narendra Modi. IMF chief went on to say that India’s economy is in right hands and
appreciated Narendra Modi’s efforts to introduce the best practices followed in
the world. She appreciated India and Modi for being well ahead of
other countries in implementing Basel 3 norms for standardizing banking
systems.
She remarked, “Among the emerging markets India is a bright spot”. She
also went on to say that India is reaping benefits of good policies and policy
announcements. She was underling the growth centric policies of Modi
government. She urged Modi to do more efforts to open up the economy, she said India
had the “opportunity to become one of the world's most dynamic economies” with
growth running at above seven per cent.
The International Monetary Fund raised its forecasts of India’s economic growth to 7.2% instead of 5.6%
as predicted earlier for the current fiscal year, which runs until the end of
March. It stands in testimony to Modi’s policies and leadership that growth
estimates are being revised many a times within a year. OECD, the Organization
for Economic Co-operation and development has also increased India’s growth
estimates.
IMF
chief’s observations about India
1)Team
Modi and RBI sound Macroeconomic management: The government and RBI
working together on shifting the focus to good macroeconomic management,
transparent government, and inclusive development. She appreciated India’s bold
step of inflation targeting.
2) Growth centric Budget: She called
Modi government’s budget growth centric. "It appears that the broad path of reform is
established. Now implementation has to follow - as we know,success begets
success," she said. She appreciated the budget for its
focus on fiscal consolidation and focus infrasturuce development. As fiscal
deficit shrinks, Indian banks could shift their focus to more lending to the
private sector.
After adjusting for differences
in purchasing prices between economies, India's GDP (PPP) will exceed that of
Japan and Germany combined by the year 2019 if India follows on the path and
implements the policy decisions. She said adding it will also exceed the combined
output of the three next largest emerging market economies —- Russia, Brazil,
and Indonesia.
Since formation of Modi government inflation has fallen to
around five percent, subsequently the interest rates have come down leaving
banks with more money to lend.
Highlights
of her observation about India’s Leadership
"My dialogue with Indian leaders has convinced me that
the conditions are ripe for India to be a key engine of global growth,"
Lagarde said in a statement on the conclusion of her two-day visit to India.
“This is India’s moment and India should seize this
moment to build a bright economic future of rapid, inclusive, and
sustainable economic growth and macroeconomic stability for many years to
come"
Expectations
and suggestions of IMF
Lagarde lauded Modi's drive to make India a major
manufacturing hub and an easier place to do business. She also urged Narendra
Modi to open Indian economy more to the world.
1. “The economy should be opened more fully to
the world, and there's a good case for removing domestic constraints on growth,
especially in energy, mining and power,” she said.
2“Further reforms of India's complex labor
lawsto
encourage young job-seekers. Lagarde said, "Urgent remedies are needed. A
good starting point is to make Indian labor markets more flexible."
3Expressed concerns about falling female
participation in workforce.
4 Expects
more easing of land acquisition and other clearances, will help revive
the investment cycle and achieve faster growth. More needs to be done expediting clearances
and establishing a stable regulatory regime so that the private sector can
invest. These issues are on the radar of policymakers, which is
promising, they must be on the action list," she said.
5She said that further subsidy reform and
implementation of the goods and services tax (GST).
Brace
for future shocks from changes in US interest regime
She also said that emerging economies like India face
greater risk of high market volatility and sudden outflow of capital as the
United States is gears up to hike interest rates by the end of this year, which
will cause flow of capital as investment in US will be more rewarding. However,
she also remarked India geared to face the situation as its economy is in right
hands.
Urgent remedies are needed to push growth, she said, adding
that "a good starting point is to make Indian labor markets more
flexible". Said the former French Foreign Minister.
IMF chief warned of high market volatility and capital
outflows when US Fed hikes rates next time and asked India and other emerging
markets to be prepared for such an eventuality.
Summarizing
In light of the encouraging observations from IMF Chief and
OECD, the two giants, we can be certain that our economy is being managed by
the best brains aided by a visionary and decisive leadership. We have set the
tone right for next 10 years, what is important now is implementation part. We
are hopeful that Modi will rock that as well.
Read the biography of Peter the Great by Robert K. Massie.
Peter the Great is one of my heroes. He modernized Russia, just like Emperor Meiji ( 1852-1912 ) modernized Japan, and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ( 1881-1938 ) modernized Turkey. All these three modernizers of their countries used ruthless measures to crush the opposition by those who did not want changes. Peter went to Western Europe in 1697 to study modern technology for shipbuilding and other industries. He wrote on a seal before his departure " I am a pupil, and need to be taught ". Peter went incognito with some companions as far west as England. He personally interviewed and recruited many technical persons for service in Russia. He was shown the British fleet, and he determined to set up a fleet in Russia. After returning to Russia, Peter began modernizing Russian society and introduced European technology. He crushed the revolt of the Streltsi regiments and Bulavin ruthlessly. He sent young men for technical training abroad, and founded the Russian Academy of Science for scientific research. He also st up several technical institutes such as the School of Mathematics and navigation. In 1703 Peter built a new capital, St. Petersburg, which remained the capital of Russia till the Russian Revolution of 1917. By the time Peter died, he had dragged Russia out of much of its backwardness and transformed many of its medeival social and political institutions and customs to modern, Westernized ones, and made Russia a great power in the world. India too needs to follow Peter's example, and take tough measures to modernize the country and make it a first rate, highly industrialized and prosperous nation in the world
As expected the most
wary and attention worthy response to the visit of US president Barak Obama
came from China. Almost every one of us would have expected the Pakistani
response to be along the lines it eventually took. However Chinese reaction to
the Barak Obama visit was what the foreign policy watchers were waiting for.
The State run Chinese daily Global Times in its report cautioned India to not
fall in ‘The Trap’ laid by the West.
It remarked that
the visit of US president in more symbolic and devoid of much significance.
They do have reasons to worry. The Chinese leadership through this state run
newspaper has attempted to give an unsolicited advice to India. This calculated response failed to hide their anxieties
with regards to US forging a strategic relation with India. Strategic
relationships are formed keeping in mind long term goals. With this master
stroke Narendra Modi has now taken another step towards being among the most
influential statesman of the time.
India-US relation as
remarked by Barak Obama in his 2010 visit is destined to be one of the most
important relationships of this century. US leadership played a big role in
getting the waiver at the Nuclear Supplier Group. George Bush worked overtime
to get a breakthrough for India by getting the Nuclear Deal done in 2008. Getting
that deal done required him to phone many head of states to get the hurdles
cleared. The Significance of that deal is huge for
India. It was at time that Chinese became wary of India-US partnership
and went to the extent of saying that US is trying to include India in its
containment of ‘Peaceful Rise of China’. Though that peace is nowhere to be
seen in East China Sea.
Unfortunately the
deadlocks could not be cleared in India after the 2008 deal. USA and its allies
had reservations on the Nuclear Liability Bill of India. The tremendous
progress made was halted when UPA government got into troubleshooting mode
after unearthing of several scams. US believed that India is falling short on
its commitments. By 2013, the momentum was long gone and after the Devyani
Khobragade incident the relations were at its deepest ebb.
It was in this time
when Narendra Modi made his grand entry. He has to be given all credit for his pragmatic and
statesman like approach. Despite not possessing much of experience on
foreign relations front he has reinvigorated India’s moribund foreign policy. Putting
the disappointments of the past (read his denial of Visa), he has breathed new
life into India’s foreign relations in such a short time.
It is now understood
that many differences between the two countries have been ironed out and with
patience and mutual understanding the rest would be ironed out soon. It is
believed that India was able to get US on board with regard to surveillance of
its nuclear reactors and at the same time not diluting its security concerns
and national interests. Though these things are not made public but going by
the assertion in foreign secretary’s statement, it does appear that due caution
was exercised in getting the deal done in India’s interests. This is a big achievement for Narendra Modi and India’s
Diplomatic corp.
In this global age
where the economic and strategic interest do not always converge. In this context,
China and USA though rivals are doing a lot of trade with each other. India is playing its card well and the credit
goes to Narendra Modi. This is not a zero sum game. China-US trade dwarfs the
US-India trade yet the Chinese are so wary of US investment. It appears that
that they are more concerned at the agreement in the defense sector
China has often used
its ‘All Weather Friend” Pakistan as a counter balance to India. This ‘All
Weather Friend” is a euphemism used for a relationship which is grossly unequal.
China now alleges that India is joining
West’s effort to contain China and its ‘peaceful rise’. China says that
differences between India and USA are as large as the distances between the two
countries. China needs to be reminded of its former premier Le Kekiang
statement that he gave in India in 2013, that big countries have to keep good
relations other big countries. China’s concerns are baseless. It is India’s
right to take its relationships forward as per the need of time. It also need
to be reminded that India did not act like China when talks of a new world
order led by China and US were doing rounds.
China tried to encircle
India by its famous string of Pearls theory manifested in ports around India.
In recent months they have had to suffer setbacks. The new government in
Srilanka has stated that it will reviews the procedure undertaken while giving the
Hambantoota port to China. Two Chinese submarines have docked at these ports.
New Sri Lankan head of state is going to visit India in February. Another
important development has been in Myanmar where democracy can upset many
Chinese equations as the tempers there are very anti-China now.
Narendra
Modi with his “Action East policy”
is setting the right tone for India in our neighborhood.
On the other hand his tremendous success on India and USA relationship is
indeed a masterstroke.
Chinese need to relax
and not offer us any unsolicited advice with regards to what should be our
trajectory of relationship so far as USA is concerned or for that matter our
relationship with Japan.
Modi has been playing
many masterstrokes on the foreign policy front and has joined league of
statesman now with his deft handling and balancing of our economic and
diplomatic relationship with USA and China.
Politics is game of
uncertainties where often seemingly impossible becomes possible. After 49 days
of governor rule Jammu and Kashmir finally saw a government of elected
representatives. BJP-PDP alliance formed the government. Soon to be octogenarian,
79 years old mufti Mohammed Saeed took oath as per the constitution of “India”
to uphold the “unity and integrity of the country”. BJP-PDP alliance is being
called coming together the two poles as BJP-PDP could not be any more different
in their core ideologies. On the same day Nirmal Singh was sworn in as the Deputy
Chief Minister. Furthermore, Sajjad Lone a former separatist leader also took
oath as a cabinet minister though much to his displeasure he got Animal
husbandry department.
Making the occasion
special, Narendra Modi himself was present along with L.K.Advani, Murli Manohar
Joshi and Ram Madhav, a man who played a key role in the discussions during the
run up to the government. PDP legislator Haseeb Drabu, who was the chief
negotiator from the party in formulating a Common Minimum Program (CMP), was
welcomed by the Prime Minister with all hugs and smiles for making the BJP-PDP
alliance possible.
The success of these
elections holds a many promises to its people. The recent flood that had inundated
almost entire valley caused great damage in the state and daunting task of
rehabilitation lies ahead. The task of bridging the gap between the three
regions Jammu, Kashmir and Laddakh is going to be a big challenge. This is
where maximum opportunities lie for BJP making inroads into the entire state of
Jammu and Kashmir.
The most important
outcome of BJP-PDP alliance is coming together of two different regions of
Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu emerged as a BJP stronghold region whereas Kashmir was
almost swiped by PDP. Jammu has had historical grievances since independence
and people of Jammu allege step motherly treatment from Srinagar.
This BJP-PDP government
is emancipation of hopes of people of Jammu region.There are other important issues
like Section 370 and resettlement of Kasmiri Pundits. The issue of refugees
(mainly Hindu) from Pakistan also remains very vital. The Armed Forces special
powers act is also another very important issue which is very vital to the
people of Kashmir region.
For now, BJP has put
the section 370 on a backburner and it is a good and farsighted decision. At
this moment especially after the devastating floods, the issues like
development and rehabilitation are more important as they will bring immediate
relief to the people of the state. Though section 370 is one of the core issues
of BJP since the time of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee but at this moment providing
relief to the people is more important.
In a statement, the BJP
spokesman Khalid Jahangir said, “The BJP-PDP government is committed to serve
the people and provide them with all the possible relief. “He further said,
“New government would ensure that all the issues concerning common people are
addressed and they get all the benefits of the centrally sponsored schemes.
Any decision on AFSPA
will be taken after consulting and taking the army on board. This would also
require a thorough check of ground realties in the notified disturbed areas.
The resettlement of
Kashmiri pundits and refugees from Pakistan is one issue which in my opinion is
the most important right now. Refugee status is one’s own country is moral
defeat for any government worth its salt. I am certain the BJP under the
leadership of Narendra Modi would leave no stone unturned to bring respite to
these people.
“People of Jammu and
Kashmir have voted for a change and new government is committed to bring the
change,” he added. The Laddakh region often gets overshadowed by the bitterness
of the two other parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The people of Kashmir
region also have their share of grievances. With the start of militancy in the
late 80s, Kashmir lost an entire generation, as in the future of those who were
in their youth was held hostage to the separatist elements in the society. It
didn’t bring good to anyone. Mothers lost sons, wives lost husbands and
families were destroyed because the earning members were either languishing in
jails or lost their lives to militancy.
A land aptly called
heaven or earth for which Shahjahan once said “Gar Fardaus baru e zamin asto,
hami asto hami asto hami asto”, meaning if there is paradise on earth it is
here. Kashmir is named after sage Kashyap and has a rich history of Buddhism. The
state has immense potential of growth particularly in handicrafts industry and
tourism. This BJP-PDP dispensation is paving way for a more representative government.
One of the most
important qualities that sets leaders apart from followers is thinking ahead of
time. Narendra Modi falls into that rare category of leaders. Climate change
seems to be the buzzword for the intellectuals in the west. May be not so much
so in the developing countries, but climate change discussions today feature
prominently in renowned newspapers across the globe. Almost on every
international platform the leaders are expected to come clear of their vision
of tackling this imminent danger before humanity. On his maiden speech from Red
Fort he addressed the need of ZERO EFFECT, referring to manufacturing products
which have zero effect on our climate. This is significant as Climate Change is
something that is affecting all us. We all are in it together. We survive
together. It would be naïve to assume that Climate Change is a thing of the
west, we have to own it together as responsible citizens.
Climate change is an
issue that should concern all of us. There are countries and populations which
are more vulnerable to climate change by the virtue of their geographic
location. The small island nations like Maldives, Mauritius and many other
small island nations in the oceans across the world face an existential threat.
About 50% of world's population lives within 200 kilometers from the coast. The
cities located on the coast line like Mumbai, Shanghai and those like Singapore
and Hong Kong are among the biggest business centers of the world.
On the recent visit
Barak Obama urged India to do more on the climate change front. As expected it
was one of the two question asked in the joint press conference. Answering a
question on whether India is under any pressure from US and China with regards
to its efforts on climate change Narendra Modi responded that India is not
under any pressure and in fact is strong enough to resist any such pressure.
However as a responsible country we understand our collective responsibility
and will contribute towards mitigating the effects of climate change.
It is worth noting that
Narendra Modi while serving the state of Gujarat as the chief Minister has
taken big initiatives to tap the solar energy potential of Gujarat. TheCharanka
solar parkin Gujarat is an
“ultra-mega” power project and the biggest in Asia. A brainchild ofNarendra Modi. As chief minister of Gujarat, Modi urged the
companies to build a solar plants across the state in just a couple of years
adding 900 MW to the electricity production. Now, as prime minister, we trust
him to deliver more on this front.
Keeping in line with his man of action reputation,
the government has identified 17 critically polluting sectors. The Environment
Ministry has also mandated stringent rules for cement industries to lessen the
pollution. The government plans to engage 3206 units to put in place the
monitoring devices on the affluent discharge points and on chimneys of the
industries to check the level of pollution”.
The electric fences on our Northern border will be
solar powered too. The Military plans to install solar panels producing 1000 MW
of electricity. Another 7,000MW of solar is out for tender across the country
and the rooftops of Delhi are to be bedecked with panels under a new scheme.The country needs more
decentralized power. These rooftop solar panels can also reach the large parts
of the country where the grid has not reached yet.
Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Tuesday stated that India can
conserve one lakh megawatts of energy by increasing its solar power production
to 100,000 Mega Watts by the year 2020. This is a fivefold increase in the
previous government’s plan which was 20,000 MW.
Energy efficiency should become the way of life for all Indians,"
Javadekar stated, speaking at conference on India's climate policy.
This stand of Narendra Modi has to be seen in context of the Blame
from the Developed world that India has not done enough to deal with climate
change.
US media has often criticized India for not doing enough as the
4th biggest emitter but what they conveniently forget is that India's per
capita emission is about 1.5 tons which is far too less than the world average
at 4 and far too below than that of US and China despite its huge population.
China has said that it is going to peak around 2030, which means that they are
going to add more. India happens to be the fourth biggest polluter because of
it 1250 million strong populations. It ranks far below the world average per
capita emission.
Like always USA is playing it cleverly and has come together with
China to pressurize India which at present is a distant 4th in carbon
footprint. China as expected is the largest at 24 per cent contribution
followed by USA at 17 per cent. If the rise in world's average temperature has
to be kept below 2 degrees Celsius then these two countries need to do more and
not just act like it. As per Sunita Narain, Director at Centre for Science and
Environment China and USA together will account for 50 per cent of 1000 giga
billion tons of carbon emission by 2100. At present these two countries
contribute about 40 per cent. China and USA have signed a deal this November. Under
the deal, China committed to cap its output of carbon pollution by 2030 or
earlier and to increase its use of zero emission energy to 20% by 2030. The US
agreed to reduce its emissions by between 26% and 28% from their 2005 levels by
2025.
The challenges before Narendra Modi today are of mammoth
proportions. The country has to grow and for that we have huge requirements of
energy (read petrol, coal, solar etc.). However the need of the hour is
sustainable development which requires utmost pragmatism in using the available
resources. We have to cut down on coal energy and the way forward is clean
energy like solar energy. Narendra has already done wonders in his tenure as
Gujarat CM and we are certain that he is the right man to find solutions to
India’s unquenchable energy needs.
Aditi Arya, 21 years old from Delhi, was crowned FBB Femina Miss India 2015 at the annual ceremony held on March 28th at Mumbai. Aditi, a research analyst and a Business Studies graduate from Delhi University earned herself the right to represent India at Miss World 2015 to be held in December. She will try to be a successor of present Miss World Rolene Strauss. Aishwarya Rai from India and Miss World winner 2014 is considered among the most beautiful Miss World ever. 
