22/01/2013
WSJ: “India’s finance minister said the “first green shoots” of the country’s economic revival are evident but growth isn’t expected to surpass 5.7% this year, the bottom end of the government’s revised growth target.
English: India’s Minister of Finance Palaniappan Chidambaram is the special guest at a plenary session titled Risks to India’s Economy in a Post-Crisis World held at the World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit 2008 in New Delhi, 16-18 November 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In Hong Kong to meet investors ahead of the budget presentation for fiscal 2013, P. Chidambaram told reporters that growth next year should be in the upper ranges of the 6%-7% target and that the economy should return to its potential growth rate, around 8%, by the following year.”
via Chidambaram: See ‘First Green Shoots’ of Recovery – WSJ.com.
Posted in Economics, India alert |
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22/01/2013
Reuters: “India’s new program to transfer welfare payments directly to the nation’s poor has been touted as a near-revolutionary way to protect people from high-interest moneylenders, bureaucracy and bribes, and to help people improve their lives. Like many government programs designed to change the lives of millions of people, it has raised doubts about how well it would work.
I recently visited a couple of villages in Udaipur, the so-called city of lakes in Rajasthan. I wanted to see how the program is going in its early stages. My initial conclusion: it’s a big challenge.
Transferring cash directly means that the government wires money to people’s bank accounts. That avoids the traditional method of standing in endless lines at the post office, often making them easy pickings for corrupt bureaucrats looking to skim some of the cash off the top. Banks, despite what we have read, are often willing to venture into the hinterlands to set up accounts. Getting people to take them is another story.
Some officials of a government-owned bank went to survey a village in Udaipur, only to receive a rude shock — one family, petrified to see the bank officers, shut the door in their faces and wouldn’t deal with the officers until the village head man intervened.”
via India Insight.
Posted in Economics, India alert |
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21/01/2013
The Hindu: “India will begin talks for a civil nuclear energy cooperation with uranium-rich Australia in March this year.
“We shall be commencing negotiations on a Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement in March 2013,” External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said here on Monday after talks with visiting Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr.
The first round of negotiations conducted by the Foreign Ministries of both countries will be held in Delhi.
The agreement would enable the export of uranium from Australia to India, Mr. Carr said.
“A sense of urgency and purpose will be there. We will move swiftly,” Khurshid said pointing out that India already had similar agreements with a number of countries which could be used as a model.
During the parleys, it was decided that Defence Minister A.K. Antony would visit Australia sometime in March for further discussions on cooperation in defence and security sectors.
This would be the first ever visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Australia.
Australia had agreed to start negotiations on a civil nuclear deal with India during the October visit of Prime Minister Julia Gillard to New Delhi.
In December 2011, Ms. Gillard’s Labour Party had overturned its long-standing ban on exporting uranium to India.
via The Hindu : News / National : India, Australia to launch n-talks in March.
Posted in Economics, India alert, Politics |
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21/01/2013
Another step forward in liberalisation.
WSJ: “India’s foreign investment promotion agency has cleared Swedish furniture giant IKEA Group’s proposal to invest nearly $2.0 billion for setting up wholly owned retail stores in the country, Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram said Monday.
Mr. Mayaram is also the head of the Foreign investment Promotion Board, the agency which clears foreign direct investments in India.
A spokeswoman for IKEA didn’t immediately comment.
The board had cleared the retail giant’s proposal in November subject to certain conditions. However, IKEA wasn’t happy with the conditions, which prevented it from selling products that it doesn’t brand, including secondhand furniture, textile goods, toys, books and consumer electronics as well as food and beverage items in cafeterias within its stores.
It thereafter wrote to the Indian government, seeking the removal of these conditions.
“Now, the proposal has been cleared in its entirety,” said another official, who didn’t want to be named.
IKEA now needs the approval of the federal cabinet to set up its outlets in India.”
via India Agency Clears IKEA’s Investment Proposal – WSJ.com.
Posted in Consumer, Economics, FDI, Import, India alert, Politics, Retail, Trade |
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21/01/2013
It’s about time!
Reuters: “Several years ago, a dinner-table conversation about state elections in Himachal Pradesh veered towards a candidate who gave away pressure cookers to woo women voters. Of course, bribing voters is illegal, but I remember wondering whether all I wanted as a woman was a pressure cooker.
The Delhi rape case and the molestation of a young girl in Guwahati in Assam last year have underscored the place that women often occupy in Indian society. These incidents have made me wonder to what extent our country’s political parties will focus on gender inequality as they look forward to the 2014 general elections. How will they vie for the women’s vote?
Until now, political parties and their largely male leadership focussed on the ‘aam aadmi’, or the common man, a phrase which subsumes women. Politicians and other public figures don’t make much hay of gender inequality and many of the attitudes toward women that hurt a large portion of our society — and when they do, they’re often lacking. The best attitude that politicians often apply to women is a patronising one. Instead of focusing on women’s empowerment through education and awareness, politicians distribute saris, cookers and sanitary napkins.
There is some attempt to change that. The Congress party’s weekend “Chintan Shivir“, or brainstorming session, in Jaipur put a special focus on women.
“Discrimination against the girl child and atrocities against women are a blot on our collective conscience,” party chief Sonia Gandhi said while opening the gathering. “Gender issues are fundamental and should be of concern to all of us.””
via India Insight.
Posted in Gender issues, India alert, Politics |
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20/01/2013
Rahul finally throws his hat in the ring.
WSJ: “India’s Congress party has named Rahul Gandhi as the party’s vice president, giving a clear indication that the scion of the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty would be the party’s prime ministerial candidate in the federal elections next year.
The appointment of Mr. Gandhi—son of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and party President Sonia Gandhi—as the party’s No. 2 sets the stage for a likely face-off with Narendra Modi, chief minister of the western state of Gujarat and a top contender within the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for the country’s highest executive post, ahead of federal polls due before May 2014.”
via India Congress Party Names Rahul Gandhi No. 2 – WSJ.com.
Posted in Democracy, India alert, Leadership change, Politics |
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14/01/2013
Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Defence, Foreign invasion, GeoPolitics, History, India alert, Military, Neighbour conflict, peace keeping, Politics, Territorial dispute |
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13/01/2013
Times of India: “The Army has come up with a fresh proposal for the new mountain strike corps, apart from two “independent” infantry brigades and two “independent” armoured brigades, to plug operational gaps along the LAC (line of actual control) as well as to acquire “some offensive capabilities” against China.
The raising of the new formations will cost around Rs 81,000 crore, spread primarily over the 12th Plan period (2012-17), with a little spillover into the 13th Plan if necessary, say sources.
“The approved 12th Army Plan, as part of the LTIPP (long-term integrated perspective plan), already ca-ters Rs 62,000 crore for the corps. The Army is now asking for another Rs 19,000 crore,” said a source.
With additional armoured regiments and infantry units based in Ladakh, Sikkim and Uttarakhand, the new mountain corps (around 40,000 soldiers) will for the first time give India the capability to also launch a counter-offensive into TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region) in the event of a Chinese attack, say sources.
As with the development of the over 5,000-km Agni-V and 3,500-km Agni-IV ballistic missiles — coupled with the ongoing progressive deployment of Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, spy drones, helicopters and missile squadrons in the northeast — the overall aim is to have “strategic deterrence” in place to dissuade China from embarking on any “misadventure”.”
via China-wary Army for mountain strike corps – The Times of India.
Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Defence, Foreign invasion, India alert, Military, Neighbour conflict, Politics |
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12/01/2013
WSJ: “India’s top industrialists and foreign diplomats met at a conference in Gujarat state Friday, singing praises for the pro-business policies set in place by Chief Minister Narendra Modi, a man widely tipped to be a leading candidate for prime minister in 2014.
Mr. Modi took the compliments in his stride, smiling and clapping, and even rising to give billionaire Anil Ambani a hug after a particularly laudatory speech at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
“Narendra Modi is a king of kings, a leader of leaders,” said Mr. Ambani, chairman of the $76 billion Reliance Group.”
via India Industry Praises Modi at Gujarat Conference – WSJ.com.
Posted in Economics, India alert, Leadership change, Politics |
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09/01/2013
Following from the death of a Pakistani soldier, this retaliation – if proven to be accurate – is not acceptable of any national army in the 21st century.
Times of India: “Defence minister A K Antony on Wednesday blasted Pakistan for the gruesome way in which an Indian soldier was beheaded by its troops who intruded into Indian territory in the Mendhar sector of J&K on Tuesday.
“The Pakistan Army’s action is highly objectionable and also the way they treated the body of the Indian soldier is inhuman,” said Antony.
“We will take it up with the Pakistan government and our Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) will talk to his counterpart in Pakistan. We are closely monitoring the situation,” he added.
As reported by TOI, an Indian soldier was beheaded and another’s body mutilated by Pakistani troops after they crossed over into Indian territory in Mendhar at about 11 am on Tuesday, in a grim reminder of the barbarism exhibited in the Captain Saurabh Kalia case during the bloody Kargil conflict in 1999.”
via Pak’s action highly objectionable: Defence minister – The Times of India.
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/indian-tensions/
Posted in Defence, India alert, Military, Neighbour conflict, Politics, Territorial dispute |
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