Re: Superpower Syndrome: Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
in Ladakh
Macau News.Net
Wednesday 2nd December, 2009 (ANI)
New Delhi, Dec. 2 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday accused
the Centre of downplaying China's objection to a road construction
project near the Line of Actual Control, in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Our primary concern is that why is Indian government downplaying this
incident. I want to know why Indian government did not call the
Chinese ambassador and stage protest against their objection. It is
India's territory," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told
reporters at a new conference.
"Even we are in favour of good relations with China but not at the
cost of India's strategic policy.
We would expect that Indian government takes the entire parliament
into confidence and give a statement here. Indian Prime minister
should present his objection and call the China's ambassador to
present them formal serious objection by India. We would definitely
expect this in the parliament," he added.
Authorities in J-K have stopped work on a road near the border with
China after objections from the Chinese army, an official said,
underlining a festering row over the border.
The eight-kilometre road was being built in the remote Demchok area of
Ladakh near LAC, a military line that divides J-K with Chinese
territory.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Defence, Pallam Raju, reiterated that
there has been difference in perception on the border issue with China
but it will be sorted out.
"I really don't know what the reasons for stopping the work is but we
all know that there is a difference in the perception of border with
China and that could be one of the reasons. But these are the issues
that will be sorted out," Raju said.
http://www.macaunews.net/story/572466
...and I am Sid Harth
Sid Harth
Ajai Shukla / New Delhi December 1, 2009, 0:24 IST
Washington-gazers have argued about whether the prime minister’s visit
to the US was a success or a failure. Symbolism more than substance
was the eventual consensus, with solace being extracted from US
President Barack Obama’s reference to India as a nuclear power.
The disappointment that tinged this conclusion stems from a tendency
to measure the success of visits in terms of big-bang agreements.
Phrases like “common ideals”, “shared values” and “vibrant linkages”
that filled the Obama-Manmohan joint declaration are considered useful
preambles; but observers want the real stuff as well. However, this
time round, with a “Global strategic partnership”; a “New framework
for the US-India defence relationship”; and the “US-India civil
nuclear agreement” already delivered, there wasn’t much left to sign.
The improbable speed with which Washington has warmed to New Delhi has
created unrealistic expectations. In 1971, President Nixon and Henry
Kissinger were describing Indians as “bastards” and “aggressive goddam
people”; and referring to Indira Gandhi as an “old witch” and a
“bitch” in turn. That said as much about Nixon and Kissinger as about
US-India relations but, still, it was only a decade ago that India
faced full-frontal sanctions from Washington after the nuclear tests
of 1998. In less than a decade that relationship has flowered,
yielding a defence framework agreement in 2005 and the civil nuclear
agreement last year.
While India has benefited from this new partnership — in nuclear power
generation, for example, or in access to US intelligence a la David
Headley — New Delhi has hardly had to walk the talk. It retains an
independent foreign policy, even on US bête noire Iran; and despite
the allegations of the political Left, India concedes little to the US
in defence policy and procurements.
Compare this with America’s longstanding relationships with the UK and
Australia, whom Washington counts amongst its closest allies. When the
US goes to war — as in Iraq and Afghanistan — London and Canberra go
along too. America’s NATO allies face the same pressure. Japan,
closely linked since World War II by a mutual security treaty, plays a
reluctant host to tens of thousands of US soldiers. Israel remains a
long-standing partner, even if somewhat diminished under Obama. Over
time, all these countries have generated political, bureaucratic and
military goodwill in Washington. Even the so-called Major Non-NATO
Allies (MNNA), such as Pakistan and South Korea, with institutional
linkages built over decades, command greater leverage amongst
Washington’s political and bureaucratic class than India does.
Only in romantic relationships is the initial period the steamiest.
Relationships between countries warm up more gradually as legislative
frameworks are negotiated as the foundations for strategic
partnerships. In the US-India relationship, only the initial steps
have been taken in this process. The defence partnership is no more
than a framework, valid for 10 years, with a formal agreement still in
the future. With New Delhi playing negotiating hardball, it will take
years to negotiate the agreements that are needed for real
partnership. The End User Monitoring agreement, a political minefield
for any Indian government, has been finalised painstakingly. Another
political hot potato, a Logistic Support Agreement (LSA), remains to
be hammered out; so does a Communication and Information Security
Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA). A formal defence pact can
materialise only upon this foundation.
Only after that, for all its political impetus, will the US-India
relationship begin to give India what it most urgently needs from the
US: high technology. So far, the message has not flowed down from the
top floors to the functional levels of the US State Department, the
Pentagon and the Department of Commerce, which issue the licences
needed for exporting sensitive technologies.
This is especially so with the inwardly focused Obama administration,
which does not view India from the balance of power perspective of the
Bush-Rice regime. India remains a fellow-democracy, something greatly
cherished in the American psyche; and a lucrative market, something
that America loves even better. But New Delhi remains marginal to
Washington’s immediate foreign policy challenges.
The absence of high-profile agreements between Obama and Manmohan
could actually benefit India, allowing New Delhi the diplomatic space
to reassure long-standing allies like Russia. Mere assurances that
“the US-India relationship will not be at the cost of other countries”
have cut little ice in Moscow. India can ill afford to jeopardise the
strategic technology and assistance flowing in from Russia. But
defence ministry officials have faced growing annoyance; their
interlocutors in Moscow complain pithily, “We give you assistance that
America will never consider. But, at the first opportunity, you jump
into their laps.”
India remains free to pursue partnerships in its legitimate interest.
But those must be harmonised with existing relationships and New Delhi
has not yet expended the time and political and diplomatic effort
needed for this. Realistically, therefore, the modest outcome of Dr
Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington was not just predictable but has
spared New Delhi some embarrassment in its relationship with other
allies.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ajai-shukla-india/s-unrealistic-expectations/378201/
bademiyansubhanallah
PTI Thursday, December 3, 2009 15:36 IST
New Delhi: A day after president Barack Obama announced his new
Afghanistan-Pakistan policy and a troop surge in Afghanistan, the US
today said it looks forward to working with India to rebuild the war-
torn country.
US ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer, who was in Washington during
prime minister Manmohan Singh's state visit to the US, said Obama also
sought Singh's "important" views on Afghanistan.
"After the the PM's very successful visit to Washington and before his
statement on the new Af-Pak policy, the president also called the PM
and they had a very good talk," Roemer told reporters at the US
pavillion at a food expo here.
He said the president sought Singh's "very important" views on
Afghanistan, "this shows how much respect the US has for the prime
minister and his views on the region".
He said the issues of terrorism and global economy featured
prominently during PM's visit to the US.
"We thank PM for his support in rebuilding Afghanistan -- in the
development work, in education and economy. We look forward to working
with India on the issue... as also on agriculture and commerce," he
said.
Roemer said there was scope for greater trade relations between India
and the US in the agricultural sector.
"I am happy to know that agricultural trade has grown by 27% between
India and the US in the past year. Nothing helps in strengthening ties
more than food, as we all know this especially in India where we love
food," he said
chhotemianinshallah
December 22, 2009 18:03 IST
Calling for "autonomy from red tape and local politics" in India
[ Images ], Nobel Laureate Indian-American scientist Venkataraman
Ramakrishnan on Tuesday said many scientists of Indian origin may
return home if the government made "attractive offers" to undertake
research in science.
"We should give a lot of autonomy from bureaucracy, from red tape and
from local politics so that they (Indian-origin scientists) can come.
What they like to do is science," Ramakrishnan, winner of Nobel prize
[ Images ] for chemistry, told reporters.
He said bureaucracy and politics were the dithering factors for the
Indian scientists to return home. Since there was "too much" of
bureaucracy and intervention of local politics in India, many
scientists of Indian-origin living especially in the West were
reluctant to come, he added.
"Make it attractive enough then they will continue to do good science
while being in India. Then many of them might return," he said,
suggesting that Indian government take cue from its Chinese
counterpart which had recently launched a scheme to bring back Chinese
scientists settled abroad.
India can also take up a similar kind of initiative, Ramakrishnan, in
Chennai for inauguration of A L Mudaliar Center for Basic Science
Development at Madras University, said.
"I think people, who come back to India will have strong personal
ties," he said adding that those who stayed back "feel they don't have
the facilities".
Stating that it would be difficult for those Indians who had settled
in US or Europe to return home, Ramakrishnan said, "In my case, I am
married to someone, who is not an Indian at all. So it is not possible
first".
However, the 57-year old scientist said there were two good scientists
in his lab who would be coming back to Pune to start their own labs.
They had published excellent papers.
"Certainly there is subset of people, who are doing very well and
would certainly come back."
Expressing dissatisfaction over the student visa procedure in UK, he
said "now it is now very hard to bring students fromoutside EU for
short term projects due to visa regulation there, which I think are
stupid."
Earlier, speaking at the inaugural session, he urged the students to
appreciate science and not because of somebody giving Nobel award.
"We cannot pursue science for Nobel prize", he said adding there were
thousands of "good" scientists who had not been recognised by the
Nobel prize committee.
"It's a nice recognition for all the people who have worked hard for
many years...but the other point of view is the prize is a distraction
and I hope its only a temporary distraction because we still have lots
of work to do scientifically..."
On Indian perspective in science field, he said lots of people were
doing very good work of international quality.
"India needs a substantial investment and build large community of
first rate scientists", he said.
"Having a supportive family willing to make the change in their lives
for the sake of your work is crucial..I'm grateful for that...," he
said.
Discussion Board
11 messages
'Like China, India should bring back scientists'
by Hebbar R on Dec 22, 2009 07:00 PM
The opinion of Dr. Venkataraman Ramakrishnan is absolutely right. But,
in reality a tall order in India. The recent example of a NRI
Scientist sacked unceremoniously from CSIR is a typical example of how
the system works in India.
Message awaiting moderator review. | Show message
Re: 'Like China, India should bring back scientists'
by chalguru on Dec 22, 2009 07:01 PM
Why dont Indians start their own fukinGandhi philosophy-bollocks prize
or something given to 100 peoples.
Re: Re: 'Like China, India should bring back scientists'
by Vivek Chandra on Dec 22, 2009 07:05 PM
It looks like you are from pakistan. Here in India we do have a Gandhi
peace awards.
For science names like Bhaba or Bhatnagar prize is a more appropriate.
CSIR does award young scientists with Bhatnagar award.
Re: Re: Re: 'Like China, India should bring back scientists'
by chalguru on Dec 22, 2009 07:07 PM
Yeah the idea is to popularize our own Indian awards and make them as
status laden like Nobels , you got the gist ?
Re: Re: 'Like China, India should bring back scientists'
by Loknath Rao on Dec 22, 2009 07:05 PM
That wont happen. the award MUST be named after Jawaharlal Nehru.
Jawaharlala Nehru Audyogik Vikas Patra carrying a shwal and a cash
prize of 25000 rupees to wipeass
Re: 'Like China, India should bring back scientists'
by Loknath Rao on Dec 22, 2009 07:08 PM
Dont call the scientists back. Atleast working outside they bring some
name and fame to otherwise worthless India. Once in India these guys
would have to do "indigenous" research for the slum dwellers.
Scientist of India: Please dont get cajoled into working in India even
if the Govt. offers twice the US dollars here. You will die an
unceremonial and thankless death
Re: 'Like China, India should bring back scientists'
by raman on Dec 22, 2009 07:03 PM
-World tech is 50 years in india and we still waiting for UID and
clebarting it like a miracle,
-It proves where and what we are :
Jai Hind
Message awaiting moderator review. Show message
Working indian are most intelligent and competitive.
by raman on Dec 22, 2009 06:57 PM
-If we see most of the indian Working abroad are competitive ,humble
and open minded people with pratical approach and they never want to
return back to india who are full of people ,who are although educated
but full of greedness and never try to learn from the other peoples .
-So in the nutshel the problem lies in indian people itself and we
choose the people whom we reflects .
I myself working abroad from last 10 years and will never return back
to india .
:Jai Hind
Re: Working indian are most intelligent and competitive.
by chalguru on Dec 22, 2009 06:58 PM
ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTION: why dont Indians start their own fukinGandhi
prize or something given to 100 peoples.
otherwise Indian brain drain will ALWAYS happen to USA UK Pakistan
Australia Japan etc etc
Re: Working indian are most intelligent and competitive.
by ranjan singh on Dec 22, 2009 07:03 PM
Who wants these money greedy prople back in India. We are growing
without them and will continue to grow like this. These greedy people
now see India as opportunity to loot or earn more............ so now
they have started shouting that there is this problem.... that problem
in India........ so that we people see that these guys are concern'd
obout our Country and we make way for them to come.
IDEA
by chalguru on Dec 22, 2009 06:54 PM
Lets migrate to USA, UK, Pakistan, Japan and win tons of nobles.
Message awaiting moderator review. | Show message
Re: IDEA
by RAJESH BHAT on Dec 22, 2009 06:56 PM
In Pakistan ?????????????????
Message awaiting moderator review. | Show message
Re: IDEA
by Vivek Chandra on Dec 22, 2009 07:02 PM
who would want to go to Pakistan?
I
by Trend setter on Dec 22, 2009 06:51 PM
I dont want to come back to India.
Re: I
by Vivek Chandra on Dec 22, 2009 06:52 PM
We need scientists not trend setters.
Re: Re: I
by Ravindra Jadhav on Dec 22, 2009 07:08 PM
well said Vivek.
Message awaiting moderator review. | Show message
Re: I
by chalguru on Dec 22, 2009 06:54 PM
Lets migrate to USA, UK, Pakistan, Japan and win tons of nobles.
SUGGESTION: why dont Indians start their own fukinGandhi prize or
something given to 100 peoples.
Re: Re: I
by Vivek Chandra on Dec 22, 2009 06:57 PM
We do have Gandhi peace awards. For science Bhaba or Bhatnagar prize
is a more appropriate name.
Message deleted by moderator
Re: I
by vulupu on Dec 22, 2009 06:52 PM
India continues to g1ve reservations....why sh0uld talent stay
here....our talent is better recognised abr0ad
Re: Re: I
by Trend setter on Dec 22, 2009 06:55 PM
yes..as in Australia.
Re: Re: I
by chalguru on Dec 22, 2009 06:54 PM
SUGGESTION: why dont Indians start their own fukinGandhi prize or
something given to 100 peoples.
Re: Re: Re: I
by nai on Dec 22, 2009 06:57 PM
completely agree with vulupu on reservation part. irony is that it is
done simply for votes.
Message awaiting moderator review
Message awaiting moderator review
NRI Scientists..... pls come back
by Ravindra Jadhav on Dec 22, 2009 06:47 PM
I'm fully agree with Dr. Venkataraman Ramakrishna as India needs their
braindrain back but this is with any condition. We have to change the
system and it'll take some decades to come that means we've to wait
our Nobel braindrain till the time to come to India. Actully when the
braindrains went out of India that time it was our India and now when
they earn lots of money so its' not their India. I can understand
these techies or scientists needs basic needs and govt is bound to
provide that. Govt cannot provide them like EU, US & other developed
countries. AS A DUTY TO THEIR MOTHERLAND, can't these poeple come back
to India? Did they totally forgotten to their Mother, Father and
ancestors in India? Hope, Indian politician & babus will understand
this problem and they'll try to do something like China has done. Jai
Hind!!!
Re: NRI Scientists..... pls come back
by vulupu on Dec 22, 2009 06:51 PM
India continues to g1ve reservations....why sh0uld talent stay
here....our talent is better recognised abr0ad.....
Re: Re: NRI Scientists..... pls come back
by Ravindra Jadhav on Dec 22, 2009 06:55 PM
FYI, many thousands and millions India by heart are still there and
fighting you the system. You are not the only person Mr Vulupu.
Message awaiting moderator review. | Show message
Re: NRI Scientists..... pls come back
by nai on Dec 22, 2009 06:51 PM
you are right. its both ways. neither they want to come back nor
indian govt is concerned the least to bring them back. and why would
they come? even the research institutes in india are politicized. they
wont get what they want for their research instead everything will go
to buffoons just because they are some distant relatives of some
politicians.
sad, but true...
by lion king on Dec 22, 2009 06:45 PM
The level of bureaucracy in Indian Scientific establishments is to be
seen to be believed. They are run (mostly) by a bunch of incompetent
buffoons who take pride only in their administrative chairs, and not
on the quality of research output.
A good scientist and a bad scientist are treated at par by the system.
The only ones who prosper are the mediocre scientists who are willing
to 'butter up' to the bureaucrats and politicians. They get all the
important posts.
Re: sad, but true...
by Jitesh Agrawal on Dec 22, 2009 06:53 PM
"Good Scientists" in India are same as superman, pantom and
spiderman!!!!
We only have loosers left in India who are good for not even building
a road to last a year and we are talking of big things, huh
Re: sad, but true...
by nai on Dec 22, 2009 06:48 PM
not to mention the relatives of the politicians have special seats
reserved for the entrance
Re: sad, but true...
by Vivek Chandra on Dec 22, 2009 06:49 PM
Most of the scientific institutes are run by very able scientists, not
bafoons. The problem is nobody can do away corruption and red tape
that easily. MMS knows it.
Re: sad, but true...
by ranjan singh on Dec 22, 2009 06:53 PM
It is nothing to do with Bureacuracy or Politics. It is all about
Money. You give them money and kick there a**. They will return back
and work for India.
No Intelligent Indian will come back to india
by raman on Dec 22, 2009 06:45 PM
-Leave Aside Scientist ,if the average indian working abroad will
return back to slum india .
-It is sad to say Slum india ,but this is actual truth ,
:Jai Hind
Re: No Intelligent Indian will come back to india
by nai on Dec 22, 2009 06:47 PM
and thanks to indian pseudo democracy for that.
Democracy has proven to be a farce in india.
Re: No Intelligent Indian will come back to india
by Vivek Chandra on Dec 22, 2009 06:50 PM
More than 30 billioners live here.
No Scientist want to come back
by Bharath on Dec 22, 2009 06:38 PM
Hi,
I see india is falling because of its week democracy and divide and
rule policy. No scientist will come back to India. As a scientist from
A.P I am giving away my Indian citizenship.
Re: No Scientist want to come back
by Jitesh Agrawal on Dec 22, 2009 06:56 PM
Hello boss, you are a thankless man for sure not sure if you are a
relative of raju running away from agencies and claiming to be a
"scientist".
No educated man will curse the place which made him what he is
today.
Re: No Scientist want to come back
by Vivek Chandra on Dec 22, 2009 06:44 PM
Can you have dual citizenship, I mean both US and Indian? It would
come in handy if you should decide to return to your motherland (AP)
in future.
Re: No Scientist want to come back
by Sourav Singh on Dec 22, 2009 06:40 PM
by cursing ur country you will not achieve anything. you r an
escapist.
Re: Re: No Scientist want to come back
by nai on Dec 22, 2009 06:46 PM
he is not cursing the country. he is cursing those who are hell bent
on destroying the country from all sides.
Re: Re: No Scientist want to come back
by Vivek Chandra on Dec 22, 2009 06:45 PM
He is a fellow Andhraite. He is escaping from red tape and politics.
Message awaiting moderator review
Re: No Scientist want to come back
by Ravindra Jadhav on Dec 22, 2009 06:53 PM
We dont need you. People like you are not from India, I bet you. Ppl
like you, utilise all cheap education and resources and goto to US and
other countries to earn money and not for India's name sake. The world
knows this. That too from AP, we absolutely don;t need you Mr. Bharat.
Pls change your name to baptist Battery. Jai Hind!!!
right
by nai on Dec 22, 2009 06:35 PM
its true that indian red tapism and beaureocracy has handicapped
india's growth in all aspects.
would someone please tell these babus and pot belly politicians that
because of them all indians are suffering. they are bottlenecks to
india's growth. they must be thrown in the arabian sea for the good of
the whole country.
http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/dec/22/nobel-laureate-ramakrishnan-in-chennai.htm
chhotemianinshallah
India and Japan: Strengthening Defence Co-operation
Rajaram Panda
December 22, 2009
The forthcoming two-day visit of Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama
to India on December 28-29, 2009 for a summit with his Indian
counterpart is paving the way for the deepening of the bilateral
relationship. Hatoyama’s talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will
possibly cover topics including an economic partnership agreement
between the two countries and measures against global warming and
terrorism.
The new Japanese Prime Minister’s India visit is coming on the heels
of Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony’s visit to Japan on November
8-10, 2009, thus reinforcing the message that Hatoyama’s foreign
policy is Asia-centric. Indeed, even before election to the lower
house on August 30, Hatoyama’s op-ed in the New York Times questioned
the continuance of US-led globalism, contending that there is an
ongoing movement away from a unipolar world led by the United States
and towards an era of multipolarity. Evidence that Hatoyama was
shaping a foreign policy for Japan that focuses more on Asia and
downplays the country’s excessive dependence on the United States came
sharply when Hatoyama floated the idea of an East Asian Community
while visiting China and South Korea in October 2009.
The importance of Antony’s November visit to Japan should, therefore,
be seen in the light of India’s response to Hatoyama’s deepening
engagement with Asia. Given growing convergence between India and
Japan on security and strategic issues, Antony responded to the
invitation of his Japanese counterpart, Toshimi Kitazawa, to visit
Japan and in the process became the first Cabinet Minister to visit
Japan after the DPJ took power. During their meeting, the defence
ministers reviewed the on-going defence related interactions and
explored ways to enhance such exchanges for mutual benefit. Antony
discussed the issue of conducting joint exercises between the two
armed forces and exchange of students in their respective defence
training institutions. The possibilities of co-ordination of efforts
in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and other maritime
security challenges also dominated the discussion.
India-Japan bilateral security and defence co-operation is guided by
the Joint Statement issued by their Defence Ministers in May 2006 and
the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation issued during the visit
of Manmohan Singh to Japan in October 2008. In the Joint Statement
issued on November 10, 2009, India and Japan resolved to strengthen
joint anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Indeed, the two
navies are already involved in co-ordinated anti-piracy operations,
sharing the burden of patrolling in the Gulf of Aden. Recognising
their mutual interest in the safety of sea lanes, they decided to
extend co-operation in the field of maritime security, especially in
the area of combating piracy off the coast of Somalia in the Gulf of
Aden. The two ministers also condemned terrorist activities and
expressed their determination to enhance co-operation in the fight
against terrorism. The negotiation on a Defence Action Plan (DAP) is
already at an advanced stage and is expected to be signed during
Hatoyama’s forthcoming visit.
Antony and Kitazawa consented to step up defence co-operation,
including joint military exercises, bilateral and regional co-
operation in peacekeeping, disaster relief and the ASEAN Regional
Forum. With this agreement, the two ministers gave a “facelift to the
existing bilateral defence cooperation.” Quoting anonymous
authoritative sources, The Hindu said the two countries “were keen on
finalizing the (defence) action plan.” The idea of a DAP was first
conceived during Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan in October 2008.
The defence ministers of India and Japan also condemned terrorism,
underscoring the need to intensify joint operations in the fight
against this global menace. According to Mahindra Singh, a defence
analyst in New Delhi, the focus on Indo-Japanese strategic ties is
part of India’s efforts to counter China’s growing influence in the
region. He also says that Japan’s and India’s overdependence on
Arabian Gulf oil and the need to ensure its smooth flow is another
driver. The joint statement appropriately outlined these issues by
stating their “common interest in the safety of sea lines of
communications.” The agreement coincided with Japan’s decision to
provide $5 billion in fresh aid to Afghanistan despite plans to recall
refuelling ships supporting US-led forces there.
It is worth noting that during the first-ever visit to Japan by an
Indian Defence Minister, that of George Fernandes in January 2000, he
had clearly emphasized on the importance of developing defence co-
operation between the two countries. After Hatoyama assumed power, the
same Fernandes who is a Rajya Sabha member now, pleaded with the
Manmohan Singh government to build meaningful relations with Hatoyama.
Writing in OtherSide, Fernandes observed: “India can develop a truly
meaningful relationship with Prime Minister Hatoyama although I also
learned that his Foreign Minister is considerably pro-China. Perhaps
we can turn this into an opportunity of a good China-Japan-India
relationship which I had discussed with many friends during my many
visits to Japan. Eastern Civilization and culture have much to offer
the world if we forget for a short time the ugly part of geo-politics
and power games.”
Besides expressing a desire to hold annual meetings, the two ministers
agreed to work towards the realization of the visit of Japan’s
Minister of Defence to India at the earliest mutually convenient time.
It was also agreed to hold the second Defence Policy Dialogue in New
Delhi some time in 2010. As regards comprehensive security dialogue
(CSD) and military-to-military talks, it was agreed to hold the next
CSD and Military-to-Military talks sometime in 2010 in Tokyo (the 6th
CSD meeting was held in February 2009 in India). The very fact that
India’s Chief of the Naval Staff visited Japan in August 2008 and the
Chief of Army Staff visited Japan to participate in the Pacific Army
Chiefs Conference (PACC) in August 2009 demonstrates the evolving
defence co-operation between the two countries.
Consensus exists in both countries for co-operation in the securing of
sea lanes of communication as well as in working towards disaster
relief operations. The recent bilateral and multilateral exercises
such as “Malabar 07-02” held in the Bay of Bengal in September 2007,
and “Malabar 09” held in the eastern sea of Okinawa in April 2009
demonstrate their mutual commitment to take defence co-operation to a
higher plane. The holding of the 2nd Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks between
the Maritime SDF (MSDF) and the Indian Navy in October 2009 in Japan
was a logical extension of such co-operation in the defence field.
Exchanges of students and researchers between the two respective
defence institutions is another dimension of defence co-operation
between any two countries and it is but appropriate that the
importance of this aspect has been realized by the leaders of India
and Japan. As a result, plans are afoot for sending students and
researchers from Japan Ministry of Defence/SDF to the Indian National
Defence College, Defence Services Staff College and other defence
institutions in India, and from India to the Regular Courses of the
National Institute for Defence Studies and other defence institutions
in Japan in the spirit of reciprocity. It will be of advantage to both
if this idea is soon institutionalized.
The Japan-India Maritime Security Dialogue was inaugurated in October
2009 and held in India. The main objective of this dialogue is to co-
ordinate efforts to ensure safety of navigation in the relevant areas.
As regards peace-keeping/peace-building and disaster relief, both
India and Japan worked closely in the United Nations Disengagement
Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights and want to strengthen
such practical co-operation.
Besides, both countries have realised the importance of conducting
mutual exchanges between their respective Peacekeeping operations
organisations, such as Japan’s Central Readiness Force and the Centre
for United Nations Peacekeeping (CUNPK) in India. Indeed, India
accepts participation of Japanese officers at the training course of
the CUNPK in February 2009.
These developments suggest that there is a growth trajectory in
defence co-operation between the two countries, complemented by the
burgeoning economic relationship providing robustness to the
partnership. Hatoyama is no stranger to India, having visited India as
the leader of opposition in the Lower House of the Japanese Diet, when
Atal Behari Vajpayee was Prime Minister. At that time, the terrorist
attacks on the Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly building and on the
Indian Parliament had disturbed peace in the subcontinent. When
Hatoyama’s visit to India was being planned in such an atmosphere,
India decided to convince him not to visit Pakistan, as is the usual
practice of anyone visiting South Asia. Even as some of his men had
begun talking about a visit to Pakistan, Hatoyama graciously agreed to
India’s suggestion and avoided that trip. Hatoyama’s forthcoming visit
to India as the Prime Minister of Japan will usher the year 2010 with
a new chapter for India-Japan relations to blossom in their
comprehensiveness.
http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/IndiaandJapanStrengtheningDefenceCooperation_rpanda_221209
chhotemianinshallah
Press Trust of India / New Delhi December 22, 2009, 18:33 IST
Keen to have civil nuclear agreement with India, the UK today
expressed confidence that such a pact would be in place soon, enabling
New Delhi to receive British products and skills.
British Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Peter
Mandelson, who is here on a visit, said he hoped a joint declaration
in this regard would be issued today but it could not happen for
"reasons, I understand".
"I think both India and UK are keen to promote greater civil nuclear
cooperation, which will certainly help India, benefit India to have
that relationship with Britain," he told reporters in response to a
question on the issue.
Negotiations are underway between the two countries to firm up a civil
nuclear deal, which could be the eighth that India would sign since
Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted 34-year-old ban on it last year.
"We will do so soon in the coming weeks," Mandelson said.
"We have excellent nuclear supply chain, excellent products and skills
and ability to manage large civil nuclear projects," he added.
Asked whether the UK would be a supplier of fuel or technology,
Mandelson said the agreement would cover the range of inputs and
activities involved in this sector.
"First of all, we are making a declaration in setting up (civil
nuclear) cooperation. I would like that to be followed with specific
agreement as quickly as possible," he said.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/britain-hopes-for-early-civil-nuclear-dealindia/81468/on
chhotemianinshallah
P B Jayakumar & Joe C Mathew / Mumbai December 22, 2009, 0:38 IST
Samir K Brahmachari feels like Bhuvan, the lead character in Aamir
Khan-starrer Lagaan.
In the blockbuster, Bhuvan cobbles together a team of villagers, who
have never played cricket in their lives, and manages to beat a team
of professional British cricketers.
Brahmachari, the director general of Council of Scientific &
Industrial Research (CSIR), India’s premier research organisation,
says his colleagues at CSIR have achieved a great feat, just like the
Lagaan team, without any international exposure or support. “We have
now the competence and capacity as anybody else in the world,”
Brahmachari adds.
The 57-year-old scientist, who did his doctorate in molecular
biophysics and spent most of his career researching the anatomy of
human genes, has every reason to be on cloud nine. Last week, his
scientists working with the Institute of Genomics and Integrative
Biology (IGIB) in New Delhi decoded the genome of a 52-year-old man
from Jharkhand after nine weeks of study — a first in the country. The
feat has helped India join a select club of countries — the US, UK,
Canada, Korea and China.
“Genetic sequencing will help in early diagnosis and management of
diseases, including cancer. Persons with genetic profiling will get an
indication of diseases to come. It is significant because the ability
to assemble the genome shows our capability to study the variations in
genes and, thus, will revolutionise future disease predictions and
treatment methodologies,” the CISR chief says.
Partha P Majumdar, professor and head of Human Genetics at the Indian
Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata says, “Virtually all health
conditions have a genetic component. You are 5-10 times more prone to
diabetes, if you have a diabetic patient at home. Knowledge of your
genetic endowment empowers you to better predict your risk to a common
disease.”
Agrees Swati Piramal, the global face of India’s drug research and
director of Piramal Healthcare. “It is a great development as genomics
has the potential to bring down the cost of healthcare by offering
specific drugs by identifying the gene mutation, and can also predict
the onset of a disease. Companies can make more accurate drugs for
specific populations.”
Simply put, scientists can find precisely what leads to the next
damage in one’s cells, predict mutations in the gene and can pinpoint
the disease that the person may get or the son/daughter will be prone
to. Genomic tools and analysis will help to develop personalised
medicine or designer drugs for accurate treatment.
K V Subramaniam, chief executive of Reliance Life Sciences, says
personalised medicine using genomics is an emerging field in India
and, with the diversity of the population, there are advantages in
numbers for all biological studies related to this.
Reliance Life Sciences has set up advanced infrastructure and highly
experienced research team to conduct high-end molecular diagnostics
and genomic studies.
The firm offers high-end molecular diagnostic tests for a patient, to
detect and predict cervical and breast cancers and genetic disorders
that increase the risk of developing tumours in glands such as
parathyroid, pituitary and pancreas.
Currently, scientists at Reliance Life Sciences are working on
decoding the oral cancer genome by analysing the single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs).
“SNPs are variations at a single site in a DNA and 10 million such
variations are there in a human genome. The research is to understand
the genetic constitution favoring the development of oral cancer in
tobacco chewers, lung cancer in tobacco smokers, heart attack in
people with high blood pressure and vitiligo — a chronic skin disorder
that causes discoloration in patches of skin,” Subramaniam says.
Arun Chandavarkar, chief operating officer of Biocon, says such
diagnostic tools may be expensive in the current context, but going
forward genomics-based disease detection and therapy based on
personalised medicine will bring down the overall healthcare cost.
Biocon conducts cutting-edge research on the structure of complex
proteins to develop innovative drugs.
DECODING FACTS OF LIFE
* Human genome is a list of instructions, encoded in DNA needed to
make a human
* The four letters in the DNA alphabet — A, C, G & T — are used to
carry instructions to make an organism
* It is like reading the meaning of a “word”
* Each set of 3 letters corresponds to a single amino acid, the
building blocks
* Human DNA is 98% identical to chimpanzees
* 20 different amino acids in various combinations make proteins
* Human genome is made up of 3 billion bases of DNA, split into 24
chromosomes
* Human body is made up of 100 trillion cells, each has at least one
nucleus, which houses chromosomes
* Most human cells contain 46 chromosomes
* Human genome contains 20,000-25,000 genes
* Information in a human genome will fill 200 telephone directories of
500-page each
* Will take a century to recite, at a rate of one letter per second
for 24 hours a day
Genomic research in the public-private sector is also shaping up in
the country. The Centre for Genomic Applications (TCGA) in Delhi is
the first such partnership that maintains a multipurpose national
facility that provides gene-based research services. Today, it has
over 200 clients, mostly universities and research institutes across
the country. A collaboration between IGBT and Institute of Molecular
Medicine promoted by Kolkata-based Chatterjee Group, TCGA excels in
the area of gene sequencing, genotyping, gene expression and
proteomics or the large-scale study of the structures and functions of
proteins.
The institute is gearing up to offer genomic services to the industry
and readying for (Good Laboratory Practices) accreditation for its
facilities, says K Narayanaswami, vice president, TCGA.
The opportunities before the institute could be few today, but are
going to grow in the coming days. “There are clinical studies in
genomics and proteomics. For instance, biomarkers can be used in
clinical studies to analyse the safety and efficacy of a medicine in a
patient,” he says. In medicine, a biomarker is a term used to refer to
a protein measured in blood whose concentration reflects the severity
or presence of some disease.
Similarly, genomics and proteomics data are being sought along with
clinical trial data for many of the latest drug approvals by US drug
regulatory agency FDA. TCGA hopes to service the multinational drug
firms that are undergoing clinical trials in the country by providing
such data.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/india-cracks-human-genome-joins-elite-club/380350/
bademiyansubhanallah
Agencies
Posted: Monday, Jan 04, 2010 at 1533 hrs IST
Updated: Monday, Jan 04, 2010 at 1533 hrs IST
New Delhi: With the revival of the job market India Inc is all set to
witness a significant jump in attrition levels as well, especially in
sectors like aviation, information technology and business process
outsourcing, executives search firm GlobalHunt India said today.
"Attrition is a sign that there is a growth in the industry. Attrition
will go up, the moment the job market picks up," GlobalHunt India
Director Sunil Goel said, adding that sectors such as BPO as well as
IT and aviation were likely to see the maximum attrition.
The year 2009, was one of the worst years in terms of job market as
terms such as 'layoffs', 'pink-slips', 'right sizing' became hot
topics in household discussions.
The later part of 2009, however, saw signs of revival reflecting
improving sentiment in India. The International Labour Organisation
also reported that as many as five lakh jobs were created in the third
quarter following the government's stimulus measures.
Besides, according to global staffing services firm Manpower,
recruitment pace is expected to return to the pre-recession level this
year and corporate India's hiring outlook has risen across all
sectors.
Job seekers in the services, public administration, education, mining
and construction, finance, insurance, real estate, and the wholesale
and retail trade sector, could look forward to the most favourable
hiring environment in 2010, Manpower had said.
The year 2010 is likely to be a good year in terms of company growth
perspective, industry growth perspective and hence attritions are
expected. However, it would be lesser than the levels of 2007, when
attrition reached its peak.
Goel further said "increase in hiring across different sectors will
lead to increase in attrition as well. Employees who fall under 25-30
age group bracket and hold less than 5 years of experience will cause
maximum attrition."
A sector-wise analysis shows that BPO, ITeS and aviation sectors will
witness attrition level of as much as 40-45 per cent this year,
followed by retail and telecom (35-40 per cent), IT (30 per cent),
pharma and infrastructure (20-25 per cent), while research and
development will see 15-20 per cent of attrition.
"Though there will be high level of attrition, it would be more at the
fresher and beginner level as people at these positions always want to
experience different things, organisations and different profile,"
Goel added.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/india-inc-to-witness-high-attrition-level-in-2010/563184/
Sid Harth
Mumbai. PTI Photo Photograph (1)
Sensex surges over 127 pts, reaches 23-month high
STAFF WRITER 16:41 HRS IST
Mumbai, Jan 5 (PTI) The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark index Sensex
today surged by over 127 points to touch a 23-month high on sustained
buying by funds in heavyweight stocks led by metals, mostly copper and
aluminium stocks.
The Sensex had a gap-up opening of over 171 points today and closed
the day with a gain of 127.51 points to close at 17,686.24, a level
seen in February 2008.
The key index touched the day's high of 17,729.78. This is the second
consecutive rally of the market after the first trading session of the
year yesterday when the index gained94.
The broader NSE's Nifty also rose by 45.70 points to 5,277.90, after
touching a high of 5,288.35.
The rally was mostly attributed to rising interest in metal stocks
followed by realty and technology sector stock.
However, a further fall in the Reliance Industries, which is the
heaviest counter among the Sensex scrips, by Rs 5.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/453801_Sensex-surges-over-127-pts--reaches-23-month-high
Sid Harth
STAFF WRITER 19:47 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and other
members tomorrow to take stock of the economy and discuss steps to
check the rising food prices.
"The Prime Minister would meet all members of the Planning Commission
to assess the state of the economy," Planning Commission member
Abhijit Sen said here today.
The demands from various ministries for significant rise in the gross
budgetary support to meet their social sector expenditure are also
likely to figure in the discussions, the sources said.
While the economy has shown firm signs of recovery, food inflation,
which touched the decade's high of close to 20 per cent, continues to
remain an area of concern for the Government as well as the Reserve
Bank.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/454358_PM-to-review-economy-with-Plan-panel-tomorrow
chhotemianinshallah
The Government of India is merely a rumour in vast areas of the
country. Its writ is challenged in areas much bigger than the size of
an average European nation. The only language that India speaks to its
unhappy communities and nations is the language of the gun. Now the
negotiations are on, because both sides have ‘em. The WSN presents a
peek into this zone
India has some 530 districts, Pakistan has less than half. In more
that 200 districts, the writ of the Indian Government is seriously
challenged. There are many districts where no public servant wants to
be posted as the District Collector. But New Delhi’s foreign policy
hinges on telling the world all the time that the Pakistanis do not
know how to run their country. In large swathes of India, the
selfproclaimed great nuclear power and one of the world’s fastest
growing economies, New Delhi’s helplessness is legendary before the
umpteen people’s movements inspired by self-aspirational ideas or
fights for land, security and selfrespect.
In Nandigram, the world saw what the Indian state is capable of doing
to its people. The mask came off from the face of even India’s
socalled progressive forces. The propeople communist government
finally revealed its Dracula teeth and monster claws as the CPI(M)
cadres went maiming, looting, threatening, raping, killing the poorest
of the poor in Nandigram to help corporates like the Indonesia’s Salim
group to set up a Chemical Hub in the region. The CPI(M) did something
similar earlier in Singur where its cadres beat to pulp the opposition
as the government acquired 10,000 acres of land for the Tatas.
But then this is the kind of stuff that India has been doing to its
teeming millions for decades now, stealing their land, rivers,
forests, security for the upper crust, the only crust to which the
India International Center is cued in to. What has been the response
of the Indian government to the many many Nandigrams across India? In
vast areas of Bihar, private armies of the thug-politicians and
resistance groups are fighting ugly, armed battles everyday. In
Chattisgarh, the writ of the government can be enforced in only small
swathes. In Jharkhand, the Chief Minister publicly says he is only
sure of his orders being followed in Ranchi. As for rest of the state,
New Delhi is only a distant power.
The Government of India is merely a rumour in vast areas of the
country. In West Bengal, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said
atrocities of the CPI(M) cadres on the poor was a way of paying them
back in their own coin. Here, then, dear Indian Establishment, we
bring you the saga of real India paying New Delhi back in its own
coin.
In the small town called Sukma along Chhattisgarh’s state Highway 43,
the only sign of the government of India are the lonely electric
poles. Lonely, because there are no cables strung on them. Most roads
are bad, not because the state PWD did not use good quality material,
but because land mines meant to keep out the Indian state’s police and
paramilitary forces are made of exceptionally good quality. Every time
someone negotiates these paths, hawk eyed locals check you out with a
piercinggaze to judge which side are you on.
State of statelessness starts here. Welcome to the territory where
India is a distant entity, represented occasionally by a khaki clad
gun totter representative of India who is too afraid to tip toe over
the land mines. One hour flight distance away from Bombay, this too
shows up on the map as India. On Manmohan Singh’s mindscape, this is
marked out as the single most serious internal security threat to
India. And there are so many shapes and sizes of this threat, so many
different intensities, that the simplisticsolution loving India which
has a linear reading of any problem has devised an all encompassing
tag for it: Naxalism.
Globalization, booming Indian economy, 10 per cent growth rate, 11th
Five Year Plan. Men like Manmohan Singh will be lost here.
Unfortunately for the designers of the new India, a country exists
outside the seminar rooms of the India International Centre also. Too
bad, there is something south of South Delhi also. This is called the
real India. It is from this place that the havenots of an unevenly
prospering nation wage a grim war against the government, armed with
weapons mostly stolen from “the enemy”, India’s security forces, and
in many areas, with an ideology imported from the China of Mao Tse-
Tung, from the 1960s. There is no CPI(M) apologist here to talk about
modern China. Alongside the local sesame, teak and mahua trees, an
extreme doctrine has been sending deep roots into the tribal psyche,
especially among the warrior tribes of Madias and Kois. The tribals
allege that for decades, the government and its business cronies have
carried out a multibillion-rupee trade in local tobacco and firewood,
without sharing the spoils with them. So, the government has been
shunted out. The state is recruiting boys and girls as young as 15 as
special police officers. These armed youngsters patrol the roads.
On a recent excursion, Stevan Desai of the Hindustan Times, found how
every government-run primary school, post office and hospital here has
been taken over by Naxalites — the local engines of Maoist
revolutionary thought who take their name from a 1967 peasant uprising
in Naxalbari, West Bengal. Chhattisgarh now is the Liberated Zone’s
bloodiest battleground. Desai is a brave reporter, and a sincere one.
Not many of India’s pen pushers are now able to take time off to write
about anything other than Indian Idol clown of its American
counterpart, unless it is for some equally dumb film star. In Maoist
territory, a few rusty hand pumps are the only memories of a fugitive
government. The schools, the dams, even the tax system, are run by the
Naxalites. Villagers pay with money, or with food, shelter, clothes
and medicines. Families who cannot even afford that in this
desperately poor area where the monthly per capita income is Rs 200
(40 per cent below the national average) give their men and boys to
the revolution astax.
“The Maoists told my family wehave a choice: either the men join the
movement or pay up Rs 500.We were given three chances to pay, in food
grains, if not cash,” says 19- year-old Pancham Dhulia at Kurti, the
second of the five relief camps on the 80-km highway from Sukma to
Konta where victims of the Maoists or people disgruntled with them
live in constant fear of reprisal. “My family could not pay.
They handed me over to the movement as tax.” Such recruits ensure that
your journey from Jagdalpur, 300-odd km from state capital Raipur, to
Pamed, is a 20-hour detour through neighboring Andhra Pradesh. There
is a shorter road through a village called Chintalnar, where security
forces have not ventured for months now. This road is heavily littered
with Claymore landmines, which first earned their stripes killing
thousands in World War II. Relentless sniper fire could make the road
even shorter for the casual visitor.
The ambushed police station in Bijapur did not particularly want to be
the last representative of the Indian state in this area. All other
government institutions have withdrawn. Stevan Desai quoted Rajendar
Vij, Inspector-General of Police (Bastar Range) as saying, “We had
asked for its closure.” There are no telephones here, no cell signal,
no electricity. Policemen say there are several areas deep in Bijapur
and Dantewada where they have not ventured for two decades. In
Dantewada, the violence has wiped out 644 tribal villages. The Maoists
are likely to re-distribute this land. Naxalites, like the police,
have Insas rifles, Kalashnikovs, light machine guns, SLRs, and .
303s.
They also have more numbers. The other road into the Liberated Zone,
Highway 43, is the only bleak artery that the government retains in
about 1.3 lakh sq km — that’s the size of 300 Mumbais — of Naxalite
territory. Along the highway are the five relief camps that stay
huddled beside CRPF shelters. From here, the Indian state issues its
nervous and disturbing answer to the siege. It recruits boys and girls
as young as 15 as special police officers (SPOs), arming them with
World-War-vintage .303 rifles. While the security forces concentrate
on their own posts, these youngsters patrol the roads and guard the
camps. These counter- insurgents are called Salwa Judum, ‘the movement
to purify’, in the local Chhattisgarhi language.
Here, dear WSN readers, is the real face and strategy of the Indian
Government. Get the poor to fight with the poor. Salwa Judam with
Naxalites, poor CPI(M) cadre with the Nandigram poor, unemployed Sikhs
recruited as SPOs with the Sikh militants. At Konta town on the Andhra
Pradesh border, there are 180 SPOs, many of them young girls. They
joined so that they could support their families, left homeless and
unemployed by the Maoists, with Rs 2,000-3,000 as monthly government
allowance. “If I do not hold the gun, I will be killed, now that we
are on the other side,” says a 16-year-old SPO, requesting anonymity.
“Also, I get to earn to feed my family.” Barely 2 km away in the red
beyond, the children of India’s own intifada play cops and Maoists, in
which little boys acting as comrades vanquish the “corrupt and evil”
police forces. “The Maoist strategy of catching them young is eerily
similar to that of the Khmer Rogue, the Maoistinspired revolutionary
party responsible for the Cambodian genocide,” says an article in the
Washington DC-based magazine Global Affairs.
In scores of towns — Pamed, Narainpur and Koligoda — Maoists run the
schools, distribute grain and construct dams to irrigate this lush,
fertile land. A CRPF Sub-Inspector warned Desai not to cross Sukma,
which houses the last petrol station and the last bottles of soft
drink. His words should haunt New Delhi for many many years of the
battles that are still in the future: “It’s a war and, forget winning,
we do not know how to fight it.” Listen to it, India. You do not know
how to fight this war, because no nation state has ever devised a fool
proof way of fighting its own people.
You are arraigned against yourself. You are killing your own. You are
killing yourself. What does one say to a suicide-minded nation? Go,
take a jump!
28 November, 2007
Sid Harth
7 Jan 2010, 2255 hrs IST, PTI
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday told overseas
Indians that India will quickly return to a sustained high growth path
of 9-10
percent and sought new avenues of partnership with the diaspora.
He was speaking at the first meeting of the Prime Minister's Global
Advisory Council of 16 eminent overseas Indians who between them
represent different disciplines from across the world.
Manmohan Singh will formally inaugurate the the Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) 2010, the annual conclave of the Indian diaspora, Friday.
"Prime Minister observed that he was confident that India would
quickly return to sustained high growth path of 9-10 percent," a
statement from the prime minister's office said.
The members of the advisory council told the prime minister that India
and its overseas community can and should build "a strong, strategic
and mutually beneficial partnership".
The prime minister stressed that he looked forward to sustained
dialogue with the members of the council including through smaller
steering groups focusing on specific areas, in opening new avenues of
cooperation between the overseas Indian community and India.
The advisory council headed by Manmohan Singh comprises External
Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs
Vayalar Ravi, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, T.K.A Nair
and Overseas Indian Affairs Secretary A. Didar Singh.
Eminent Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) like Nobel Laureate Dr Amartya
Sen, Prof Jagdish Bhagwati, Karan F. Bilimoria, Swadesh Chatterjee,
Ela Gandhi, Rajat K. Gupta, Lord Khalid Hameed, Dr Renu Khator,
Kishore Mahbubani, P.N.C Menon, L.N Mittal, Indra.K Nooyi, Vikram
Pandit, C.K. Prahalad, Lord Bhiku Chotalal Parekh, Tan Sri Dato Ajit
Singh, Neville Joseph Roach, Prof Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan, Yusuffal
M.A. are also members of the council.
Sid Harth
7 Jan 2010, 1930 hrs IST, PTI
NEW DELHI: World's largest steel maker ArcelorMittal believes that
India is not equipped to handle big-ticket investments, although the
country
needs over half a trillion dollars to shore up its infrastructure.
Billionaire Lakshmi N Mittal, whose company's projects worth USD 22
billion have been held up for over four years for want of regulatory
clearances and land, told this was so because no one quite saw the
rapid growth coming.
"We blame the whole country for this because we did not experience
this kind of growth, we did not experience this kind of interest in
investments in India," he said, adding that neither the Centre nor the
states were prepared for this kind of investment in the steel
industry.
In 2005, Mittal signed a pact with Orissa government for a 12 MTPA
steel plant and shortly after announced plans for an identical project
in Jharkhand, but they are yet to come up.
"Clearly, we are not satisfied with the progress that ArcelorMittal
has made so far. There have also been delays in processes because
Indian government as well as the state governments have never received
such..mega investments."
"I am sure Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) is also not satisfied with
the progress. He has told many a times that these investments should
be accelerated," Mittal said.
These delays are despite India making public that it needs over USD
500 billion in investments in infrastructure sector and that too steel
being a key construction material.
Mittal met the Steel Minister and Karnataka chief minister, whose
government has cleared a Rs 30,000 crore investment proposal by the
steel maker.
"Just offering lands is not enough. If there is delay...the lands are
not right for setting up the steel plants. We may not accept it, after
all we have to set up a steel plant," Mittal said.
Asked if the steel behemoth will hold talks with Orissa and Jharkhand,
he said, "We are investors. We are not here to fight with the state
governments."
He clarified that his company was not withdrawing investments plans in
Orissa and Jharkhand. However, the company would prioritise
investments depending on the treatment the company gets in different
states.
"We are open to all possibilites...we are discussing with various
states," he said replying to a question if mineral-rich Chhattisgarh
would also be approached.
Sid Harth
7 Jan 2010, 0640 hrs IST, Rama Bijapurkar, ET Bureau
Do we know what young India is thinking? The English media give us
their take based on surveys that they do, which, as has been pointed
out often in this column, represent less than 5% of the country’s
youth. Often, it’s hard to even figure out what segment of youth such
surveys represent, because the write-up is most economical about facts
like which income group or social strata the study was done amongst,
merely stating “xx number of respondents aged xyz, from the following
cities and towns”.
The internet surveys give us a window into the minds and worlds of the
internet-enabled youth; but this sample universe leaves out large
chunks of those who form part of our much-promised demographic
dividend. That’s why it was so wonderful to see a book, Indian youth
in a transforming world: Attitudes and perceptions. Jointly published
by CSDS and Sage Publications, it is the report of a high-quality
survey of 5,000 people, aged 14 to 34, drawn from all states excluding
the north-east, Uttarakhand, Goa and Himachal Pradesh, and
representing all socio-economic classes.
The sampling methodology and the survey instrument have been explained
in detail, and the fieldwork relatively recent, done in mid-2007. Not
meaning to be xenophobic, it was still a bit sad to note that such a
study got done because Konrad Adenauer Stiftung initiated and
commissioned — and presumably funded — it.
It is true that in India, we generally have trouble finding adequate
funding for regular studies of this kind which tell us more about
ourselves. If the quantum of data were proportionate to the quantum of
our usage of the term demographic dividend, we should have had several
more and larger youth studies in the public domain. One is not
referring to countrywide studies done for private companies that
measure cola consumption or media habits or advertising preferences of
young India; but of public domain insights on how young people think
and feel about issues like those that this book captures — ‘family and
social networks’, engagement with ‘politics and democracy’, views
relating to ‘governance and development’, and their view of the world
and globalisation, their hopes, dreams and concerns and so on.
To set the big-picture context, according to the Census of India,
2001, we have almost 20% of our population in the age group of 15 to
24 — that’s what actually ought to be considered the core youth target
group — and around 27% in the age group of 15 to 29. They are 69%
rural and 31% urban, yet what rural youth are thinking about is a big
blind spot for many of us, because it never finds mention in any media
survey; only 14% have finished school, and the number is just 9% for
women. Even in urban India, only 25% of urban youth have finished
school, and that actually represents around 8% of all-India youth. So,
let’s mute the applause for the big bold move with wide ranging
benefits of the MHRD initiative to abolish the Standard X exam.
Despite low levels of education and income for the most part,
according to the survey report, optimism runs very high. About 84% of
the 15 to 34-year-olds in India — referred to in the report, and
henceforth in this article, as the youth — are optimistic about the
future, and only 3% are pessimistic, the remaining 13% are uncertain.
We always talk about aspiring young India and, indeed, 53% have high
or very high aspirations as compared to 28% who have low or very low
aspirations. Does it hold for the weaker sections of society too? It
most certainly does.
About 30% of upper class youth have low or very low aspirations, while
only 24 and 26% respectively of the Dalits and tribals have low or
very low aspirations. However aspiration levels do rise with socio-
economic status, but even on this count, at the lowest strata, 43%
have high or very high aspirations and outnumber those who have low or
very low aspirations. Just imagine the power of hope and desire that
we are sitting on, if only we could channelise it properly!
With aspiration comes anxiety of course, and 68% of the youth have
high anxiety about their future, 50% very high anxiety. If my
generation paid the price of the socialist ideology, then this
generation is bearing the cross of the free market, survival of the
fittest, keep up with the Joneses society that we are becoming.
What do they see as the big problem that this country has to deal
with? It is poverty and unemployment (27% votes each), while only 4%
chose illiteracy and lack of education, 3% terrorism and 6%
corruption. In fact, if we were to add population growth to
unemployment and poverty, then 67% of young people are saying, “ I’m
optimistic but please give me opportunity and improve my quality of
living”.
Poverty is seen to be the No. 1 problem ahead of unemployment by those
in the lowest socio-economic strata and the illiterate, but
unemployment is what everyone is deeply concerned about across the
board — irrespective of education levels or socio-economic status.
When asked ‘what should be the first priority of the government’,
guarantee of employment wins by a very wide margin over provision of
educational facilities or betterment of health services. May be it is
time to debate the value of jobless growth in the economy, and the
notion that growing self-employment is out of choice.
And what kind of social issues will gen-next grapple with? Ensuring
environmental sustainability comes in a distant third after
‘strengthening defence’. Gender equality will be a strident call,
especially from the women, and more so from the less educated women.
Related to that, presumably, will be shaky marriages, though belief in
family still reigns supreme.
A big thank you to the editors and publishers of the volume for
putting this important study the public domain, and let’s make a new
year wish that we will have internally-generated funding to do more of
this kind of work that will help us both in business strategy and in
public policy, to understand ourselves better, and shape the future
better.
Sid Harth
7 Jan 2010, 0651 hrs IST, Prabha Jagannathan, ET Bureau
It’s unclear when the word pedestrian (from the Latin pedester, or
going on foot) came to mean the ordinary, the infra dig, the
undistinguished or dull. But with increasing urbanisation, especially
in newly-urbanising countries, the word has come to mean that — in
tandem with fast-rising vehicle sales and a commercial mindset that
deifies status through the acquisition of private vehicles. That also
legitimises the pedestrian as roadkill, along with dogs, cows, donkeys
and other animals. Only a fraction of the time and space devoted to
automobile sales, vehicle industry health and the sex appeal of new
machines is devoted to pedestrian safety in the mass media.
In India, there were around 1.5 lakh roadrelated injuries in 2008, up
from 1.1 lakh in 2007. More than half of those were fatalities. And
half the fatalities, and more than half the injuries incurred, involve
pedestrians. Several of these continue to be hit-and-run cases,
leaving pedestrians to the mercy of personal accident insurance
policies, by and large themselves tied to vehicle ownership, for
marginal compensation and huge medical spends.
But then, this is hardly surprising considering the urban transport
policy of this billionplus country is unabashedly loaded in favour of
vehicles despite more than three-fourths of its population not owning
one. A visitor from abroad would be struck by the acute illogic of the
urban transport policy of a nation, a majority of whose denizens are
economicallyconstrained pedestrians or public transport users. Just
take the roads. Hard mid-road barriers with few pedestrian crossings
force the elderly, physically-challenged and children to dodge
speeding vehicular traffic regularly.
A November 2009 report by UN development expert Dr Kevin Watkins
launched in Moscow by the Make Roads Safe campaign describes road
crashes as ‘a one-way ticket into poverty’ for many in the developing
world, maintaining that the mounting toll of death and injury is also
placing an intolerable burden on health systems. Data from a Nimhans
study on pedestrian safety in Bengaluru revealed that nearly half the
road deaths and a fourth of the hospital registrants due to road
accidents were pedestrians. Most fatalities were of young men in the
16-45 year group.
Other studies have posited that the highest proportion of road
fatalities may be related to ‘development’ . Compared to metros in
India, Kenya and Sri Lanka, for instance, the fatalities are much
higher than in metros in Australia , US or Japan. Yet, there are
exceptions that taunt this conclusion that pedestrian/bicycle
fatalities are related to development. Such as Hanoi, in a country
whose history and culture is intertwined with keeping alive traditions
against the might of the technologically-superlative . Pedestrians and
bicyclists have the right of way in its transport culture.
This raises a key question: is pedestrian neglect undivorceable from
development? Prof Geetam Tiwari of IIT-Delhi points out in a study
that even in a city safest for pedestrians and bikers, Copenhagen,
they are the ones at the highest risk although the numbers are
comparatively lower. Road fatalities involving pedestrians , she
holds, is as high as 75% in Mumbai and 50% of the total in Delhi, but
also 54% in NY, 33% in Jo’burg , 40% in Shanghai, 30% in London and
33% in Tehran. “It is an urban problem, not of development,” she
contends.
State policies that do not proactively endorse pedestrian health —
walking is still propagated as the best form of exercise the world
over — and safety here, therefore, cannot be viewed indulgently. In an
article, Prof Vivek Moorthy of IIM-Bangalore points out that “the
pattern of urbanisation taking place in India is seriously harming
pedestrians. They are being displaced by road-building and widening,
without safe walking space — which was meagre to begin with... We are
living in a regime for motorists, by motorists and of motorists...”
The fundamental flaw in our urban transport policy is that it is
underpinned by high government expenditure, in itself a self-
propelling incentive. “Everyone loves a good flyover ,” Moorthy says
in a sarcastic reference to the lack of pavements and footpaths in
road engineering. Isn’t it ironical how electorallypotent pedestrian’s
needs seem to not strike policymakers at all? Describing China, New
York Times correspondent Nicholas Kristof wrote, “In civilised
countries, cars stop for people. In uncivilised ones, people stop for
cars.” He could be talking about India.
Isn’t it time for the ‘pedestrian’ public to pressure policymakers
into understanding the difference between a civilised society and
dehumanised urbanisation?
Sid Harth
5 Jan 2010, 0020 hrs IST, Kiran Karnik,
What better way to begin a year than to recall T S Eliot’s lines: For
last year’s words belong to last year’s language / And next year’s
words await another voice / And to make an end is to make a
beginning.
A new year is certainly a start for many things. As one gets over the
hangover of the year gone by — and, for some, of spirits gone in — it
is the time to look ahead. The joy of the festive season has not yet
worn off, and an upbeat, feel-good mood is in the air. An optimistic
outlook is, therefore, quite in order. Here, then, is a what-may-be
look at the brand-new year, before the shine wears off, and through
distinctly rose-tinted glasses.
All through 2010, economic growth continues to accelerate. Spurred by
a slow but definite global recovery and a positive Budget, the Indian
economy does exceptionally well, with a run-rate of over 9% growth. An
excellent monsoon, coming after a disastrous one in 2009, leads to a
strong bounce-back in agriculture and stimulates rural demand and
growth. Manufacturing does well, with a big improvement in
availability of power, cheaper import of raw material — thanks to a
stronger rupee — and more efficient logistics. The last is a
consequence of removing bureaucratic hurdles of assorted levies and
paperwork traditionally involved in the movement of goods, along with
better roads and a technology-enabled goods tracking system to
minimise cost and time of shipments.
The entry of large retail chains has had an immediate impact on the
supply chain. Wastage of agricultural produce has been minimised, as
has time-to-market, thanks to cold storage facilities and refrigerated
transport. Better rural roads, linked to high-speed rail and highway
networks, have helped in reducing cost and time of transportation.
This has led to fresher and cheaper farm produce for the consumer,
while efficiencies and disintermediation have meant higher prices for
farmers. The availability of cold chains, all the way from farm to
urban consumer, is resulting in farmers growing more fruit and
vegetables. This generates higher incomes, but has a short-term impact
on the availability and prices of foodgrains; however, the large
budgetary outlays for agricultural extension will help to quickly
increase the yield of grains, while the big increase in R&D funding
will lead to higher productivity in a few years. These steps will
increase supply and keep prices in check.
NREGA continues to be a boon to the really poor, providing employment
where and when none exists, and also leading to an increase in general
wage rates. The use of IT and innovative solutions — like payments
through pre-paid cards in mobile phones, with voice recognition
technology for ID — has led to quick payments, full transparency and
accountability, and higher system efficiency. Meanwhile, the National
Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) — with NREGA melding into it — has
taken off.
NRLM provides training for in-demand skills, including training for
installation, maintenance and repair of agri-equipment and electronics
(TV, computers, mobiles and telecom equipment, cable and DTH, air
conditioners, etc); plumbing, electrical work, masonry and
construction; sales; driving and auto maintenance; agriculture,
horticulture and forestry related, etc. NREGA supports this by paying
eligible trainees in recognised courses a per diem stipend equivalent
to the NREGA wage rate. Such training has resulted in vastly improved
employment prospects, higher wages, and better productivity: gains for
the individual as well as the economy.
After a difficult year, India’s flagship IT-BPO industry has picked up
steam once again, as companies world-wide begin to increase IT budgets
and
look at India not just for wage differentials, but also for skill
arbitrage and innovation. Booming domestic demand provides an
additional fillip to this sector, resulting in an estimated direct
employment generation of over 400,000 new jobs during the year, and
about four times that through indirect job-creation. The government
ensures the long-term growth and global competitive advantage of this
sector through positive steps in education, training and fiscal
policy, including the recognition of all STPI-registered units as
‘deemed SEZs’.
Matching the bold steps by government, Nasscom announced that all IT-
BPO companies with a turnover of Rs 100 crore or more had voluntarily
agreed to put 3% of their profits into a special fund. Of this, two-
thirds would be a fund, managed by Nasscom, for educational
initiatives; the other one-third would be managed by Nasscom
Foundation, and would be dedicated to improving the lives of the
disadvantaged through education, training and skill development. This
path-breaking initiative in corporate social responsibility by the IT-
BPO industry has already energised other sectors to follow suit.
In a widely welcomed new move, the finance minister invited civil
society groups for pre-Budget discussions. He agreed to ensure that
each line item of budgetary expenditure would indicate the expected
outcome and impact on the disadvantaged — specifically, on those below
the poverty line. Government would also institute a mandatory social
audit — funded by government, but independently conducted — of every
social scheme with an outlay of over Rs 500 crore.
The frequency — quarterly or annual — and other modalities would be
decided in consultation with civil society groups. There will also be
a managerial audit of all government projects to ensure accountability
for delays or mala fide in decision-making. Further, even as
administrative reforms are put on a fast track, a new commission will
review laws to identify, within a year, obsolete and unnecessary laws
that need to be repealed.
Government has created, under the auspices of the National Innovation
Council, an ‘India Idea Fund’ of Rs 1,000 crore a year to provide seed
money — as grant or equity — to innovative and intellectual property
focused start-up ventures. Special priority will be given to social
entrepreneurship which will help to improve livelihoods and services
for the disadvantaged.
Are these random possibilities merely dreams emanating from ‘year-end
euphoria’? Maybe; but I echo Lennon: You may say I’m a dreamer/ But
I’m not the only one/ I hope someday you’ll join us. So, do. After
all, Man’s reach must exceed his grasp, else what’s a heaven for.
(The author is an independent strategy and policy analyst)
bademiyansubhanallah
By VIKAS BAJAJ
Published: December 8, 2009
BANGALORE, India — In the United States and Europe, people worry that
their well-paying, high-skill jobs will be, in a word, “Bangalored” —
shipped off to India.
Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times
Suri Venkatachalam, center, the chief of Connexios Life Sciences, a
start-up developing drugs to treat diseases like diabetes.
People here are also worried about the future. They fret that
Bangalore, and India more broadly, will remain a low-cost satellite
office of the West for the foreseeable future — more Scranton, Pa., in
the American television series “The Office,” than Silicon Valley.
Even as the rest of the world has come to admire, envy and fear
India’s outsourcing business and its technological prowess, many
Indians are disappointed that the country has not quickly moved up to
more ambitious and lucrative work from answering phones or writing
software. Why, they worry, hasn’t India produced a Google or an
Apple?
Innovation is hard to measure, but academics who study it say India
has the potential to create trend-setting products but is not yet
doing so. Indians are granted about half as many American patents for
inventions as people and firms in Israel and China. The country’s
corporate and government spending on research and development
significantly lags behind that of other nations. And venture
capitalists finance far fewer companies here than they do elsewhere.
“The same idea, if it’s born in Silicon Valley it goes the distance,”
said Nadathur S. Raghavan, a investor in start-ups and a founder of
Infosys, one of India’s most successful technology companies. “If it’s
born in India it does not go the distance.”
Mr. Raghavan and others say India is held back by a financial system
that is reluctant to invest in unproven ideas, an education system
that emphasizes rote learning over problem solving, and a culture that
looks down on failure and unconventional career choices.
Sujai Karampuri is an Indian entrepreneur who has struggled against
many of these constraints.
His Bangalore-based company, Sloka Telecom, has developed award-
winning radio systems that are more flexible, smaller and less
expensive than equipment used by phone companies today. Mobile phone
companies and larger telecommunications equipment suppliers are buying
and testing his products, but he has not been able to interest Indian
venture capitalists. For the last five years he has run his firm on $1
million he raised from acquaintances.
“I can only afford to trial with one customer at a time and that takes
three months to materialize,” said Mr. Karampuri, who has considered
moving the company to the United States to be closer to venture
capitalists who specialize in telecommunications. “You are always
worried about paying next month’s salary to people. Should you keep
the money for this trial or next month’s salary?”
Companies like Sloka Telecom are important, analysts say, because they
are more likely to create the next wave of jobs than large,
established Indian technology companies, many of which are
experiencing slower growth. These companies could also help offset
some of the outsourcing jobs the country will likely lose because of
greater automation and competition from countries where costs are even
lower.
There are historical reasons that starting a business in India is
difficult. During British rule, imperial interests dictated economic
activity; after independence in 1947, central planning stifled
entrepreneurship through burdensome licensing and direct state
ownership of companies and banks.
Businesses found that currying favor with policy makers was more
important than innovating. And import restrictions made it hard to
acquire machinery, parts or technology. Inventors came up with
ingenious ways to overcome obstacles and scarcity — a talent Indians
used the Hindi word “jugaad” (pronounced jewgard) to describe. But the
products that resulted from such improvisation were often inferior to
those available outside India.
“We were in an economy where, forget innovation, expansion was
discouraged, creating wealth was frowned upon, there was no
competition to speak of,” said Anand G. Mahindra, who heads the
Mahindra & Mahindra business group and has spoken about the need for
more innovation.
Indian leaders began embracing the free market in the 1980s and
stepped up the pace of change in 1991 when the country faced a
financial crisis. Those changes increased economic growth and made
possible the rise of technology companies like Infosys and Wipro,
which focused on providing services for American and European
corporations.
Yet, the government still exerts significant control, especially in
manufacturing, said Rishikesha T. Krishnan, a professor at the Indian
Institute of Management in Bangalore.
“To start a services company it really takes you just two or three
days to get going,” said Mr. Krishnan, whose book, “From Jugaad to
Systematic Innovation: The Challenge for India,” is to be published
next year. “The moment you are looking at manufacturing, there are
hundreds of inspectors and regulations.”
Raising money is one of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face.
Venture capital funds have flocked to India in recent years, but they
are more likely to invest in established businesses than young firms.
In the United States, Israel and elsewhere, the initial, or seed,
capital for many start-ups comes from rich individuals known as angel
investors. But most rich Indians prefer to invest with family members
or close friends because its considered safer and provides assurance
that the lender will be able to borrow from relatives in the future.
“If you want to raise $3 to $4 million, it’s doable,” said Sumir
Chadha, who co-heads Sequoia Capital’s Indian operations. “But it’s
difficult if you want to raise $300,000 or $400,000,” a typical
investment at the early stages of a company’s life.
When Cellworks Group, which has most of its operations in Bangalore,
was looking to raise money last year, executives talked to venture
capitalists here and abroad. But the company raised all of the money
it needed in the United States, because most local investors did not
have the expertise to evaluate the biotech firm, said Taher Abbasi,
the chief executive.
Cellworks has planted its corporate headquarters and a small staff
near San Jose so it can be close to investors and American
universities for research collaboration on cancer drugs.
“To really kick off entrepreneurship without local money is very
difficult,” Mr. Abbasi said.
Still, he said, India has its advantages. Engineers and biologists are
plentiful, though they need to be trained more than their counterparts
elsewhere. And operating costs are a lot lower than in the San
Francisco Bay Area, which was critical more than two years ago when he
and his partners started the company with their own money.
There may yet be hope for Indian innovation.
Some are looking to fill the venture fund vacuum. A group called
Mumbai Angels holds Saturday meetings every two months at which
entrepreneurs pitch ideas to affluent investors. Members of the group
have invested in about 20 companies, said Prashant Choksey, a co-
founder.
Separately, N. R. Narayana Murthy, the chairman of Infosys, recently
sold $38 million worth of shares in his company to start a new venture
capital fund. Mr. Raghavan, the former Infosys executive, has invested
about $100 million in start-ups like Connexios Life Sciences, which is
developing drugs to treat diabetes and other diseases. Many Indian
universities have also started entrepreneurship programs and classes.
Vivek Wadhwa, a former technology entrepreneur who now researches
innovation, said the climate for start-ups in India was a lot better
than it was a few years ago. It should continue to improve, he said,
in part because companies like General Electric have hired tens of
thousands of engineers in India to work in research and development.
“Once they have been working on these projects for a few years they
will outgrow the companies that they are working for,” he said. “They
will hook up with these entrepreneurs that failed” on previous start-
up attempts and create new companies.
Another change may augur well. Until early this decade, the Indian
market was too small and isolated to make it very lucrative for
businesses to develop products here, so most technology companies
focused on selling services to the West, said Girish S. Paranjpe,
joint chief executive of Wipro’s information technology business.
“That will change dramatically because the Indian market has become
bigger,” he said.
In the last eight years, the size of the Indian economy has roughly
doubled along with the importance of foreign trade. There could still
be something to envy and fear.
bademiyansubhanallah
New York’s Next Idea Comes From Students in India
By PATRICK MCGEEHAN
The next big idea for a business that could help solve New York City’s
energy problems may have been devised by three students from India who
had never visited the city before this week.
On Thursday morning, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that the
trio of students from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras had
won the inaugural NYC Next Idea contest, sponsored by the city’s
Economic Development Corporation. The contest is one of the mayor’s
initiatives to improve the city’s image as a place that is hospitable
to entrepreneurs.
The winners, who called their venture Greenext Technology Solutions,
will receive $20,000 in cash and help in setting up their business in
the city – if they decide to come New York and can obtain the
necessary visas. Mr. Bloomberg used the announcement as an opportunity
to reiterate his view that the federal government should make it
easier for foreigners to come to New York to work.
“No one can say for sure whether the finalists’ ideas will translate
into successful job-creating businesses,” the mayor said in a
statement. “What a shame, though, if they and countless others are
denied the opportunity even to try.”
The winning idea is a system for storing energy in large batteries
around the city that would
discharge electricity into the power grid to meet demand. The flexible
mechanism could serve as a backup source to avert gaps in the power
supply and make the grid more reliable, according to the winning
entry.
The members of the winning team are Aashish Dattani, Sriram
Kalyanaraman and Vinayshankar Kulkarni. They beat out a team from a
business school in Spain that drew up a bike-sharing program for the
city and a pair of students from a business school in France who
devised a tool for screening people for infectious diseases.
The Economic Development Corporation is seeking a local school to run
the business-plan competition again in 2010.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/mcgeehan-post/?scp=6&sq=India&st=cse
bademiyansubhanallah
8 Jan 2010, 1159 hrs IST, REUTERS
NEW DELHI: India's economy could grow 7.75 percent in the current
fiscal year to end-March, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on
Friday.
India's economy grew an annual 7.9 percent in the quarter through
September, its fastest in 18 months. His comments were more upbeat
than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The economy expanded 6.7 percent in 2008/09 (April-March), slower than
the 9 percent or more in the previous three years.
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 16:33 HRS IST
Mumbai, Jan 8 (PTI) In a volatile trade, the Bombay Stock Exchange
benchmark index Sensex today fell further by over 75 points on heavy
selling by funds in IT stocks on worries that the rising rupee may
hurt revenues.
The Sensex, which had lost 85 points in the previous session after a
four-day rally, lost another 75.43 points at 17,540.29 as heavy-weight
stocks in the IT, metals and refinery counters fell sharply.
Another reason for the fall was the Reliance counter that fell 0.47
per cent after news trickled in that the company has sweetened its
offer to buy a controlling stake in the bankrupt American chemicals
major LyondellBasell.
The key index shuttled between 17,658.12 and 17,508.96 points during
the day as trading activity turned choppy on alternate bouts of
trading.
After hitting a 15-month high yesterday, the rupee opened the day
eight paise down at 45.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/458896_Rupee-spooks-markets-again--Sensex-sheds-75-pts
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 14:56 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) Indian auto manufacturers are well poised to
become "winners" in terms of global market share in the next five
years to join the ranks of established players like Hyundai, Toyota,
Honda and Volkswagen, a survey says.
According to a survey by leading consultancy firm KPMG, global
automotive market share winners over the next five years would include
various new Chinese and Indian vehicle manufacturers, along with
leaders like Kia/Hyundai, Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen.
When 200 senior executives were asked to predict firms that will have
a major chunk of the export market over the next five years, they
identified "various new Chinese and Indian vehicle manufacturers, as
well as the existing global players Kia/Hyundai, Toyota, Honda and
Volkswagen as leaders again this year," KPMG said.
Among firms that remained on the low rung of market share expectations
were General Motors and Chrysler.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/458697_Indian-auto-makers-poised-to-dominate-export-market-in-5-yrs
Sid Harth
STAFF WRITER 18:9 HRS IST
Kolkata, Jan 08 (PTI) Uranium mining in Meghalaya is likely to start
by the middle of this year, Chief Minister D D Lapang said today.
"We are going ahead with the mining activity ... We are hopeful that
uranium mining can be started in the coming six months for which
certain issues will have to be resolved," he said at the North-East
summit here organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
Before starting the activities, developmental work will have to be
initiated at the area identified for mining and for this, the state
has asked for a Rs 2098 crore package from the Centre, he said.
Uranium Corporation of India has identified Domiasiat area for mining
and the pre-project activities have already started.
Certain NGOs are opposing the proposed uranium mining due to perceived
health hazards.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/459092_Uranium-mining-in-Meghalaya-may-start-by-mid-2010
bademiyansubhanallah
7 01 2010
Spy versus Spy: Games India and the US play
April 08, 2008
In May, it will be four years since Major Rabinder Singh, a joint
secretary at the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s external
intelligence agency, who was found to have been working for some years
as a mole of the Central Intelligence Agency, gave a slip to R&AW’s
counter-intelligence division, which had placed him under
surveillance, and fled to the United States along with his family via
Katmandu, Nepal.
L’Affaire Rabinder Singh remains as mysterious today as it was in
2004. Nobody has an idea of what damage he caused to India’s national
interests and national security. In the meanwhile, he and his family
reportedly live comfortably in the US.
There have been instances of the penetration of the National Security
Council Secretariat, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office, by
the CIA after Dr Manmohan Singh became prime minister. Some NSCS
staffers were suspected of having clandestine links with a lady CIA
officer posted as a diplomat in the US embassy in Delhi. Her task was
to liaise with the concerned government departments in connection with
the Indo-US Cyber Security Forum set up jointly by the US and India
when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister. She utilised this
opportunity to allegedly recruit moles in the NSCS, which coordinates
the work of the Indo-US Cyber Security Forum.
The Indian intelligence community had been penetrated by the CIA at
the middle and senior levels some years ago. In the 1980s, when Rajiv
Gandhi was prime minister, an Indian Police Service officer, who
served in R&AW as a director (one rank below joint secretary) and
headed the agency’s office in Chennai, was found to have been working
for the CIA for some years. The Intelligence Bureau office in Chennai
detected his clandestine contacts with a CIA officer who was posted as
a consular officer at the US consulate in Chennai and alerted R&AW.
The agency immediately had him detained and interrogated. He was in
preventive custody in New Delhi’s Tihar jail for a year till his
interrogation concluded. However, he was not prosecuted.
In the 1990s, when P V Narasimha Rao was prime minister, a very senior
Indian Police Service officer serving in the Intelligence Bureau — who
would have been in the running for appointment as the director, IB —
was suspected to have been working for a woman CIA officer (Heidi
August), then posted as a diplomat at the US embassy in Delhi. A
junior Intelligence Bureau officer accidentally discovered that she
had a mobile phone, which was registered in the senior officer’s name.
Joint enquiries by the IB and R&AW exposed this officer’s suspect
links with August; he was sent on premature retirement.
These were the better-known cases of penetration, which received
publicity in the media. There were other cases of penetration of the
intelligence community, which the government of the day managed to
keep under wraps.
Penetration of an intelligence agency by a foreign agency is nothing
unusual. It happens often. MI6, the British external intelligence
agency, was famously penetrated by the KGB, the Soviet intelligence
agency, through the India-born Kim Philby, who worked for MI6 under
the cover of a journalist. Philby fled to Moscow aboard a Soviet
submarine before he was exposed and lived there until his death.
There is also the case of Aldrich Ames, a middle-level CIA officer in
charge of counter-intelligence against the Soviet and Russian
intelligence agencies. He was exposed as a mole of Soviet intelligence
who unveiled the identities of many CIA moles in the Soviet and
Russian governments to their intelligence agencies. These moles were
later executed. Ames was prosecuted and now serves a life sentence
without parole.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
<!–Image: US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C) is
welcomed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama upon her arrival at his Palace
temple in Dharamsala on aprch 21, 2008. Thousands of Tibetan exiles
greeted US House speaker Nancy Pelosi as she made the first high-level
official visit to see the Dalai Lama following a wave of unrest in
Tibet.”Today we are here at a sad time to join you in shedding the
bright light of truth on what is happening in Tibet,” Pelosi told
Tibetan leaders in the northern hill town of Dharamsala, the base of
the exiled spiritual leader.
Photograph: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images–>
Also read: Did the CIA help Rabinder Singh flee?
Spy versus Spy: Games India and the US play
April 08, 2008
Rabinder Singh has been able to defeat every effort by the Indian
government to arrest him. In the midst of the high-pitched noises
about the strong India-US relationship, many of his former colleagues
believe, Singh lives in an American sanctuary.
Rabinder Singh’s case has been hushed up by the governments of Atal
Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh. It is alleged that the moment R&AW
officers grew suspicious about Singh at the beginning of 2004, it
immediately alerted the Vajpayee government, which did not want it to
be played up to avoid embarrassment during the campaign for the
general election.
The Manmohan Singh government did not want the case to be vigorously
pursued lest it become a hurdle in the way of its policy of developing
a new strategic relationship with the US. Other political parties
showed no interest in the case. There was neither a detailed
parliamentary enquiry nor even a token debate in Parliament.
What ominously distinguished the Rabinder Singh case from other past
cases of penetration of Indian intelligence by foreign agencies was
that the moment he came under suspicion, the CIA helped him and his
family escape to the US via Katmandu, allegedly giving them US
passports under false names. This was similar to what the KGB did for
Philby. The KGB, in Philby’s case, and the CIA in Singh’s issue, went
to extraordinary lengths to ensure that their mole was not arrested
and interrogated by helping them escape.
Deniability is an important principle religiously followed by
intelligence agencies all over the world. They refrain from doing
things which might amount to their admitting that a particular officer
was their mole. When their mole comes under suspicion and is about to
be arrested, they do not help him to escape arrest because that would
amount to their admitting that he or she was a mole. They let the mole
be arrested and interrogated by local counter-intelligence and
compensate for the hardships suffered by the mole in jail by looking
after his family. This is the unwritten rule of business in the
intelligence game.
Image: Former CIA operative Aldrich Ames (centre) comes out of a US
federal court on April 28, 1994, after he pleaded guilty to espionage
and tax evasion charges and was sentenced to life in prison.
Photograph: Robert Giroux/AFP/Getty Images
Also read: Remember Rabinder Singh?
Spy versus Spy: Games India and the US play
April 08, 2008
The agencies help or even force a mole to escape only when that mole
is part of a spy ring operated by them and they are worried that his
arrest and interrogation might expose other moles, probably doing more
important work. The KGB went to extraordinary lengths to help Philby
escape to the then USSR because he was aware of the identities of
other KGB moles in British intelligence. The Russian intelligence did
not help Ames escape because he was not part of a ring.The fact that
the CIA went to extraordinary lengths to help or probably even force
Rabinder Singh to escape clearly indicated that he was part of a ring
and that the CIA wanted him to escape so that the identities of other
CIA moles in Indian intelligence were not exposed.
The case of Rabinder Singh was much, much more important and ominous
than any other instance of CIA penetration of R&AW, the Intelligence
Bureau and the National Security Council Secretariat. Singh was a
mediocre officer who did not have much access to sensitive
intelligence. But he was a very good networker who entertained
lavishly and maintained excellent relations with other R&AW officers,
who had access to much more sensitive intelligence which would have
been of use to the CIA.
The suspicion was that he helped the CIA not by giving sensitive
intelligence, but by giving introductions to other officers, who had
access to it. He was what in intelligence parlance is called a talent
spotter par excellence, someone who helped the CIA recruit other
moles. That is what Philby used to do for the KGB.
Singh’s escape was a very serious breach of security, the like of
which had not happened in the history of Indian intelligence. Philby’s
case was thoroughly investigated by the British government and the
House of Commons informed of the results of the enquiry. There was a
detailed US Congressional enquiry into the Ames case and the
voluminous Congressional report on the enquiry is available to the
American public.
The Manmohan Singh government asked P K Hormis Tharakan, the R&AW
chief from 2005 to 2007, to look into the Singh case and submit his
findings. Tharakan interviewed senior R&AW officers, serving as well
as retired, under whom Singh had worked, but his report has remained
confined to the archives of R&AW and the Prime Minister’s Office.
A retired senior R&AW officer told India Abroad, “Only the Indian-
American community can help find Rabinder Singh in the US. I have no
hope because even if Indian Americans meet him at parties or ethnic
events he must have a different identity, a new passport and some
facade of a business address. How will they recognise him? I think
it’s a hopeless case. The Indian government will have to live with the
shame called Rabinder Singh.”
Image: An undated portrait of Kim Philby. Just as the KGB went to
extraordinary lengths to help Philby escape to the then USSR, the CIA
ensured that Rabinder Singh was flown out before he could be
apprehended so that its secrets were safe.
Photograph: AFP/AFP/Getty Images
bademiyansubhanallah
Last updated on: February 02, 2005 18:01 IST
Kerala's Director General of Police P K Hormis Tharakan, who belongs
to the 1968 batch of the Indian Police Service, took over as the new
chief of the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), the external
intelligence agency on February 1.
Tharakan, who will be designated as Secretary (R) in the Cabinet
Secretariat, succeeds C D Sahay, a 1967 batch officer of the IPS'
Karnataka [ Images ] cadre who retired January 31.
After R&AW was formed September 21, 1968, its founding father, the
late Rameshwar Nath Kao, persuaded then prime minister Indira Gandhi
[ Images ] to designate the head of the organisation as Secretary (R)
instead of Director, R&AW, in order to underline the equality of
powers and status of the head of the R&AW with the other secretaries
of the Government of India.
RAW founder chief R N Kao dies
When Morarji Desai took over as prime minister in 1977, he abolished
this designation and re-designated the chief as Director,R&AW, at par
with the Director, Intelligence Bureau.
The late N F Suntook and Girish Chandra 'Gary' Saxena, the third and
fourth chiefs of R&AW, were, therefore, known as Director, R&AW, and
not as Secretary (R).
Before his retirement March 31,1986, Saxena persuaded then prime
minister Rajiv Gandhi [ Images ] to restore the pre-1977 designation
of Secretary (R).
S E Joshi, an officer of the 1952 batch of the IPS' Maharashtra
[ Images ] cadre, who succeeded Saxena, was designated by Rajiv Gandhi
as Secretary (R), and since then, all the chiefs have been known as
Secretary (R).
Since its inception, R&AW has been headed by the following officers:
Name of officer Length of tenure
R N Kao 9 years
K Sankaran Nair 3 months (He put in his papers in protest against
Morarji's decision to re-designate the post)
The late N F Suntook 6 years (He had the unique distinction of
working with honour under Morarji, Charan Singh and Indira Gandhi)
G C Saxena 3 years
S E Joshi 15 months
A K Verma 3 years
G S Bajpai 14 months
N Narasimhan 19 months
J S Bedi 4 months
A S Syali 3 years
Ranjan Roy 15 months
A K Dave 2 years
A S Dulat 18 months
Vikram Sood 2 years
C D Sahay 22 months
P K Hormis Tharakan From February 1 onwards
Suntook had served in the Indian Navy as an emergency commission
officer, then in the IPS and from there, he opted for the Indian
Frontier Administration Service during the days of Jawaharlal Nehru
[ Images ].
Vikram Sood came to R&AW from the Indian Postal Service and was
permanently absorbed in the Research Analysis Service (R&AS), a new
All India Service in R&AW created by Indira Gandhi on Kao's advice.
Kao and Sankaran Nair belonged the Indian Police (IP) of the British
colonial days, which was re-named IPS after independence. The other
officers were all from the IPS.
All the IPS officers except Saxena and Dulat resigned from the IPS and
chose to be permanently absorbed in the RAS.
Dulat, a member of the permanent cadre of the IB, was not eligible for
permanent absorption.
E S L Narasimhan to be next IB chief
The RAS had not yet come into being when Saxena and his predecessors
were the chiefs and, as such, the question of their absorption did not
arise.
Over the years, many in the IB and R&AW have recommended that the
heads of the two outfits should have a fixed tenure of three years
since theirs is a highly specialised job.
Any new incumbent would take at least six months to find his feet in
the job even if he is from the profession, and outsiders would take
even longer, they argued.
But there was strong opposition to this from the Indian Administrative
Service and no political ruler was prepared to overrule their
position.
As a result, Tharakan will have a tenure of only five months, unless
the government decides to extend it.
It is said when he was sounded by the Prime Minister's Office for this
post, he had said there would be hardly any point in his moving over
from Thiruvanathapuram to New Delhi [ Images ] just for five months
and had expressed his preference to continue and retire as Kerala's
[ Images ] DGP. Despite this, the government decided to appoint him as
R&AW chief.
One of the important and sensitive responsibilities of the head of
R&AW is to maintain the network of its liaisons with the intelligence
agencies of other countries.
This network is important for political as well as operational
reasons.
Not infrequently, the chief executives in many countries use this
network for informal and secret interactions with their counterparts
in other countries through the intelligence chiefs of those
countries.
Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi used this network on many occasions to
sort out difficulties with countries such as the US, the erstwhile
USSR, China, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia etc.
RAW trying to thwart Iran-Pak ties
V P Singh [ Images ] and those who followed him did not use it, but A
B Vajpayee, through Brajesh Mishra, his National Security Adviser, was
reported to have used R&AW's liaison network for mending fences with
China after the difficulties created by China's adverse reaction to
India's nuclear tests in May, 1998.
Professionally, this network plays a very important role in counter-
terrorism. Good personal vibrations of the R&AW chief with his
counterparts in other countries help considerably in this.
An incoming R&AW chief would normally take at least about six to eight
months to get to know the chiefs of other countries and establish a
good working understanding with them. Unfortunately, Tharakan may not
have this benefit unless the government decides to extend his tenure.
When Ajit Doval, another IPS officer of the Kerala cadre, was
appointed DIB last year hardly eight months before his superannuation,
there was general expectation that he would be given an extension so
that he could have a longer tenure, but this was belied and he too
retired on January 31.
P V Narasimha Rao gave a one-year extension to Syali, but was
disinclined to give a similar extension to JS Bedi, who thus was in
office for only four months.
H D Deve Gowda [ Images ] gave a few months extension to Ranjan Roy,
who otherwise would have had a tenure of less than a year.
Tharakan supersedes Jyoti Sinha, an IPS officer of the 1967 batch from
Bihar, who was No 2 to Sahay and held office as Special Secretary.
He would have still had six months of service on January 31, but the
government decided to transfer him out of R&AW and post him as
secretary (co-ordination) in the main office of the Cabinet
Secretariat with no responsibilities relating to R&AW.
He has reportedly decided not to accept the new post and to go on
premature retirement.
This is not the first time a No 2 in R&AW has been superseded and a
junior has been appointed the chief. S E Joshi had superseded R T
Nagrani.
Since Nagrani, an otherwise outstanding officer, had only a few months
service left at the time of Gary Saxena's superannuation, Rajiv Gandhi
appointed Joshi as Secretary (R).
At the same time, he gave independent charge of the directorate
general of security (DGS) to Nagrani and gave him the same rank and
pay as Joshi. After Nagrani retired a few months later, the DGS
reverted to the control of Secretary (R).
Dulat, who was brought into R&AW from the IB, had superseded R
Nagarajan, an officer of the Information Service, who had been
permanently absorbed in the RAS.
Vikram Sood had superseded S Sunderrajan, an IPS officer of the Delhi
Union Territory cadre.
Sahay superseded R S 'Billy' Bedi, a former Indian Army [ Images ]
officer.
While Nagarajan and Sunderrajan accepted posts of equal rank and pay
outside the intelligence community, Bedi, who had only about eight
months of service left at the time of his supersession, accepted
another post of equivalent rank and pay inside the intelligence
community as the head of the newly-created technical intelligence
organisation called the National Technical Facilities Organisation,
with a tenure of two years.
Image: Uday Kuckian
C K Kutty
Discussion Board
total 5 messages
RAW ..the analysis...
by vipul on Feb 04, 2005 12:41 PM
The article "A RAW HAND" whic was a "Rediff Special/C K Kutty" on
February 01, 2005, ia an amazing piece of work.
Regards.
A RAW deal
by s subramanyan on Feb 03, 2005 01:18 PM
This article is well timed. It is full of facts about postings in the
last 50 years. The care and concern with which the RAW was conceived
and the free hand given to its opioneer-head has not been accorded by
the later PMs. This is a sad reflection of the way we think of
intelligence. If this is the treatment that is accorded to RAW, the
topmost of the intelliegence wings, imagine the treatment to the IB
and CBI.
The time is for a complete rethinking of rejuvenating all the three
wings and establishing a coordinating one at the apex. Of course such
thoughts will be a luxury for the country which debates endlessly
about the role of National Security Adviser. The recent Nepal incident
should spur urgent thinking on this issue.
s subramanyan
No standard
by sujan on Feb 02, 2005 11:32 AM
I had read your article and one thing I have understood is that the
political leader ship in India gives less importance in cultivation of
a premier intelligence wings. It is always seen that these postings
are political push & pulls or just adhoc. Does the need of a senior
IPS officer to be posted for the intelligence wings a necessaity.
IN MY OPINION IT IS NOT.
What is needed is the person who could handle and have the iq of
intelligence collection.
There is a fast necessaity that a chief of intelligence wing be there
for a long term and be able to make an impact.
Until unless people realise that, we could never have good prevention
happening.
Whatever prevention that is happening is because of the hard work and
patroticism shown by the field agents.
Let there be a change. Let the almighty put some sense into our
politics.
raw chief
by george mathew on Feb 02, 2005 11:18 AM
congratulations shri Hormis Tharakan we ar proud of you.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/02spec3.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
January 21, 2002
0150 IST
R N Kao, founder chief of external intelligence organisation Research
and Analysis Wing (RAW) and considered doyen of Indian intelligence,
died in Delhi on Sunday.
Kao, 84, died of old age, family sources said. He is survived by his
wife and daughter.
Kao became the secretary (research) in the Cabinet secretariat, right
from the day RAW was formed on September 21, 1968. He had joined the
Indian police in 1940 and the Intelligence Bureau in 1947.
He played a key role in connection with intelligence gathering before
the 1971 Indo-Pak war and retired from service in January 1977.
After retirement, Kao was appointed senior advisor to prime ministers
Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
A very private person, Kao shunned media publicity and refused to
write memoirs of his illustrious career.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/jan/21raw.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi | March 15, 2003 19:18 IST
C D Sahay, a Karnataka cadre IPS officer of the 1967 batch, will be
the new chief of the Research and Analysis Wing -- India's external
intelligence agency.
Sahay joined RAW on deputation in the 70s. He resigned from the police
service and was absorbed in the Research and Analysis Service in the
80s.
He headed the RAW set-up in Jammu and Kashmir in the 90s. Promoted as
special secretary in 2000, he was put in charge of the division
responsible for analysis and operations relating to Pakistan and other
Islamic countries. He was also a member of the team set up by the
government to negotiate with the hijackers of an Indian Airlines
aircraft in December, 1999.
Sahay will take over from Vikram Sood, who retires on March 31.
His senior in the agency, B S Bedi, is tipped to head a new Technical
Intelligence Agency.
In fact, it was Bedi's new responsibility that paved the way for
Sahay.
Bedi has been also functioning as special secretary in the Directorate
General of Security and has been heading the directorate's Aviation
Research Centre since 1998.
Though Bedi is due for retirement in seven months, he is likely to get
a two-year tenure at TIA.
Bedi's military background and his expertise in technical intelligence
made him an automatic choice to head the new agency.
TIA was born out of the recommendations of a special task force on
intelligence gathering headed by Jammu and Kashmir Governor and former
RAW chief, Girish Chandra Saxena.
The task force was set up in May, 2000 and was asked to examine some
suggestions made by the Kargil Review Committee vis-a-vis the
country's intelligence apparatus.
The Intelligence Bureau, RAW and the intelligence directorates of the
armed forces have their own capabilities as far as technical
intelligence is concerned.
The Kargil Review Committee had recommended that a special Technical
Intelligence Agency be created on the lines of the US National
Security Agency.
While the review committee had recommended the transfer of present
technical intelligence capabilities of various agencies to this new
agency, the task force headed by Saxena did not approve the idea.
The TIA has now been mandated to meet the technical intelligence
requirements of all agencies. It would also be responsible for future
acquisition of new capabilities.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/mar/15raw.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
Onkar Singh in New Delhi | January 12, 2005 11:37 IST
Last Updated: January 12, 2005 15:39 IST
E S L Narasimhan, an officer of the 1968 batch, will be the next
Intelligence Bureau chief.
A formal communication to this effect is likely to be made on the
return of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to New Delhi on Wednesday
after a two-day trip to West Bengal.
Narasimhan is currently special director, IB, and is the most senior
official after the current IB chief, Ajit Doval, who will retire on
January 31.
According to sources, Dr Singh had agreed to his name before leaving
for West Bengal, but some formalities are yet to be completed.
Narasimhan is a confidant of National Security Advisor M K Narayanan
and he will be IB chief for almost ten months.
However, the government has not yet decided who will be the next chief
of the Research and Analysis Wing.
RAW chief C D Sahay retires along with Doval.
Amongst those in the race include Amber Sen and J K Sinha of RAW.
The name of Hormis Tharakarn, director general of police, Kerala is
also being mentioned in the bureaucratic circles.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/jan/12onkar.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
Pakistan Interior Minister Shujaat Hussain has alleged that India's
Research and Analysis Wing is trying to thwart normalisation of
relations between Pakistan and Iran.
In an interview with Radio Teheran, the minister said, ''It is our
earnest desire that there should be no deterioration in relations
between Iran and Pakistan but at the same time the Indians are
straining every nerve to stop normalisation in these relations.''
UNI
October 5, 1999
http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/oct/05pak.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
July 07, 2004 18:03 IST
The government on Wednesday appointed Ajit Kumar Doval as the new
director of the Intelligence Bureau in place of K P Singh, who has
reportedly sought permission to go on leave.
Singh, a Chattisgarh cadre IPS officer of the 1966 batch, was to
retire on August 31.
Official sources said that the Appointment's Committee of the Cabinet
has cleared the name of Doval, a Kerala cadre IPS officer of the 1968
batch. He will serve in the post till January 31, 2005.
An official notification to this effect will be issued soon.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/07ib.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
Last updated on: February 03, 2005 20:05 IST
Part I: A RAW hand
Hormis Tharakan is the second outsider to be brought into the
organisation to take over as the chief after superseding an insider.
A S Dulat was the first. He was brought in from the Intelligence
Bureau because the Atal Bihari Vajpayee [ Images ] government
considered R Nagarajan, an upright officer, who, however, had the
reputation as an over-cautious risk-avoider, to be unsuitable to be
the chief.
Dulat was attached to R&AW nearly six months before the superannuation
of his predecessor so that he could understudy him and learn the job
before taking over.
When he joined, there was considerable hostility to him among insiders
and there was unhappiness in the organisation over an outsider being
brought in to take over as the chief.
PMO Advani grapple over next RAW chief
Dulat joined the organisation with many handicaps. He was a stranger
to many officers and to the junior and middle level staff. He had
never served in the organisation before. Apart from a posting at the
Indian embassy in Kathmandu, as the IB officer in charge of security,
his exposure to external matters and to external intelligence
collection was limited.
But he also had many qualities which were to stand him in good stead.
He was an extremely warm-hearted, affable and open-minded person, who
could easily befriend others.
Even though his exposure to external intelligence was limited, he had
done outstanding work in the IB as an operative, particularly in Jammu
and Kashmir [ Images ], and he was an officer of tremendous humility.
He understood that there would be unhappiness in the organisation
because of his induction and made determined efforts to remove the
hostility to him and to befriend the insiders. He identified the
capable insiders and delegated powers to them.
Pak claims about RAW
It was said that even many insiders who had become R&AW chiefs before
him had not defended the interests of the R&AW as stoutly as he did.
In no time, helped by his positive qualities, he established excellent
relations with his counterparts in other countries and came to be
regarded as a close personal friend by many of them, including George
Tenet, the then chief of the US Central Intelligence Agency.
He also saw to it that he was succeeded by an insider. The morale and
elan of the organisation improved tremendously under his stewardship
and he was the toast of R&AW when he left.
Could Tharakan do a repeat? It is reported that there is some
unhappiness in the organisation over his induction, though not to the
same degree as there was when Dulat was inducted.
Moreover, Dulat was a total outsider, but Tharakan is not. He had done
two spells in R&AW covering a total period of about eight years and
made a name as an expert on Sri Lanka [ Images ] and Nepal. He has
many friends and well-wishers in R&AW and in the community of retired
R&AW officers.
During his second spell, the organisation was keen to induct him into
the RAS in view of his outstanding performance at headquarters and in
the field, but he declined to join the RAS and preferred to return to
Kerala [ Images ] and await his turn as director general of police.
Varsha Bhosle: Gary's people
Tharakan shares many of Dulat's good qualities. He is warm, affable
and open-minded with an easy knack of making friends.
In contrast to Dulat, he has had a wide exposure to external
intelligence, as an analyst as well as an operative. He has pleasant
memories of his past association with R&AW.
Will he succeed as well as Dulat in removing the unhappiness in the
organisation and in restoring its morale and elan? It is difficult to
say at this moment. Unless given an extension, he will have only five
months at his disposal.
Moreover, one has to see to what extent he will be able to defend the
interests of R&AW, while working under the over-all supervision of M K
Narayanan (in main image), the new national security adviser, who
should be taking over the task performed by the late J N Dixit as the
chief co-ordinator of the intelligence community.
M K Narayanan given interim charge of NSA
Both Dulat and R&AW were fortunate that Brajesh Mishra, as the NSA,
was the chief coordinator.
He was from the Indian Foreign Service, who had no favourites in the
intelligence community. He was extremely fair and objective and shared
Dulat's belief that everything must be done to restore the morale in
R&AW and that nothing should be done which could further damage it.
As a former IFS officer, Mishra came to office as the NSA with mental
reservations about the performance of R&AW.
When he had an opportunity of closely overseeing its work, he realised
that his past reservations were ill-founded and he became a strong
backer of R&AW. During an informal discussion, one had once heard him
rating the quality of the performance of R&AW as above that of the
IB.
It used to be said that the post-1998 role played by R&AW in helping
the government mend fences with China made him think very positively
of it. All this helped in restoring morale.
Jaswant unhappy with intelligence agencies
Narayanan is one of the most outstanding officers produced by the IPS
and the IB. He had spent almost his entire career in the IB and some
months as the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, when V P
Singh [ Images ] was prime minister.
He is an icon in the world of Indian intelligence and is held in high
esteem in the international intelligence community. He is loved and
worshipped by younger officers in the IB.
However it is said that one could not say the same thing about his
equation with R&AW.
Rightly or wrongly, Narayanan is perceived in large section of R&AW as
someone, who as a young assistant director in the IB in 1967-1968,
opposed tooth and nail the bifurcation of the IB and the creation of
R&AW.
It was said that he belonged to a small group of IB officers headed by
the late M M L Hooja, the then DIB, and the late Anand Dave, the then
Director, ARC, who opposed the creation of R&AW and created many
difficulties in the way of its smooth functioning.
They reportedly considered the creation of R&AW as a greater
humiliation to the IB than the Indian debacle in the Sino-Indian war
of 1962.
Many IB officers of the 1960 vintage and their followers still
articulate the following views:
It was wrong on Indira Gandhi's [ Images ] part to have bifurcated the
IB;
It was wrong on her part to have ordered the dilution of the number of
IPS officers in R&AW;
It was wrong to have created the RAS;
it was wrong on the part of Indira Gandhi to have made R&AW
exclusively responsible for liaison relationships with foreign
intelligence agencies; and
Either R&AW should be re-merged with the IB or it should be divested
of the responsibility for the collection of intelligence in India's
[ Images ] neighbouring countries and this task should be given back
to the IB in view of the close linkages between our internal security
and the developments in these countries.
Even 37 years after the bifurcation of the IB, these views keep
cropping up from time to time from IB officers.
Special: The NSC misnomer
Would Narayanan allow his sense of fairness and objectivity to be
clouded by his loyalty to the IB and his close friendships there? Does
he still nurse the post-1968 bitterness? If he tends to take decisions
which favour the interests of the IB over those of R&AW, to what
extent will Tharakan be able to resist it?
These are questions which keep troubling the minds of large sections
of officers in R&AW.
To be fair to Narayanan and the IB, it must be said that when Kao was
senior adviser to Indira Gandhi in the 1980s and Gary Saxena to Rajiv
Gandhi [ Images ] subsequently, there were similar reservations in the
minds of the IB and its officers. There was a perception in their
minds that the hearts of Kao and Saxena were with R&AW.
Next: The final analysis
Image: Uday Kuckian
C K Kutty
http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/feb/03spec1.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
Josy Joseph in New Delhi | March 11, 2003 22:55 IST
The cold war between the Prime Minister's Office and Deputy Prime
Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani has reared its head yet again over the
appointment of the next chief of the Research and Analysis Wing,
India's external intelligence agency.
RAW chief Vikram Sood is retiring on March 31 and attempts to find his
successor are yet to succeed, as Advani and the PMO under Brajesh
Mishra are yet to find common ground.
Among the proposals being discussed is an unconventional one floated
by those close to Advani, to move Intelligence Bureau chief K P Singh
as head of RAW.
Unconventional because the IB is a much bigger and more influential
agency (in India) than RAW.
While the fight appears to be over the RAW chief's post, what is left
unsaid is that the change would create a vacuum in the IB, which the
Advani camp is keen to fill.
The IB is expected to play a crucial role in the next couple of years
in view of some crucial polls, including the general elections in
April next year.
This reason alone will ensure opposition to any proposal mooted by the
Advani camp, which argues that Singh's appointment would take care of
the main concern among RAW officers and others in contention for the
top job, that of seniority being ignored for the crucial appointment.
K P Singh is a 1966 batch IPS officer and the other contenders are
either of his batch or junior to him.
This is being seen as Advani's way of getting his nominee to head the
IB as K P Singh, appointed as IB chief two years back, is seen as a
PMO nominee.
The Advani camp suggests that Ajit Doval could take over from K P
Singh at the IB.
A special director at the IB, Doval is among India's finest
intelligence hands. A 1968 batch Kerala cadre IPS officer, he has been
associated with the fight against terrorism since the eighties.
Doval's name is also doing the rounds for the RAW chief's post, but
his appointment could create much heartburn because the other
contenders are senior to him.
Among the other contenders are B S Bedi, who joined RAW from the army
in the early 70s and now heads its Aviation Research Centre. From the
1966 batch, Bedi has only a few months left in service.
The other contenders from within RAW are senior officers C D Sahai,
Jyoti Sinha and Amar Bhushan, all from the 1967 batch of the IPS.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/mar/11raw.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
Pakistani police have arrested seven alleged Indian agents on
terrorism charges, a senior officer said on Tuesday.
"This is the most organised terrorist gang trained by the Indian
intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing," said Karachi police
chief Tariq Jamil.
He said the seven, all Pakistani nationals, had confessed to carrying
out a series of bomb blasts in the country.
Three were arrested in Karachi and four at Thatta, a town near
Karachi, on Monday. The ringleader was identified as Abdul Jabbar
Zafar.
The accused were produced before an anti-terrorism court in the city
on Tuesday under tight security.
Jamil said police recovered 30 kilograms of explosives along with
timers, detonators and an assault rifle from the gang.
Pakistan's border security force arrested eight alleged agents of RAW
near Lahore in Punjab province in August.
October 10, 2000
http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/oct/10raw.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
Gary's People
Varsha Bhosle
Barely four days after slamming our intelligence agencies ("The
maverick mind cannot exist in there, and our 'Intelligence' agencies
are nothing bureaucratic"), I had an opportunity to get an insider
view from the other side -- that of the former chief of RAW and now
Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Girish Chandra 'Gary' Saxena.
It is not easy for me to interview a governor: The office commands
respect, and tact has never been one of my few virtues. And if the
governor has also been a spymaster, an occupation I absolutely
venerate, it's curtains... For, lip just won't do. Thus, to say that
my knees were shaking when I entered Raj Bhavan, is putting it very
mildly.
But you don't want to hear about me, right? Ok, here's what I know
about His Excellency, the governor: IPS cadre; may be alumna of Mount
Abu's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. Joined RAW in
1969; ran it from 1983. Was security advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi. 71 years old. Came out of retirement a second time to take up
his second tenure as governor of J&K in May 1998. Addressed the Lal
Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in 1998... Period.
There is no other governor about whom such little information is
available. In short, you'll have to put up with my I-disease a while
longer.
For starters, I disagree with Chindu: Mr Saxena didn't seem
"diminutive" to me at all. Nor would I say that he "just cannot be as
powerful as he is made out to be." Unless, of course, one has Arnold
Schwarzenegger in mind as the epitome of power and stature. Mr Saxena
looks, well... average. Someone who could easily blend in anywhere...
an imperative for a spook. But when he laughs -- and he does that a
lot -- sparks fly. Between that and his extremely affable manner and
wicked sense of humour and knowledge of things "in the loop," Mr
Saxena leaves no room for attention to wander. So much so that your
favourite lecher would be hard put to describe his aide de camp, a
species which is always tall, young and gorgeous.
True, I didn't have the nerve to cross Mr Saxena's statements, even
those on the bureaucratic aspect of our intelligence agencies. I
couldn't ask him how he knew the exact number of snow-shoes if he
didn't know the information. But guess what, once we got rolling, I
didn't want to. What I really wanted was to get away from all the
blighted politics, and sit at his knees and just listen to his true-
life spy stories. I lost interest in Kashmir; I didn't want to know
about the damn LoC; and Brigadier Surinder Singh could hang himself. I
just kept thinking over and over again: God, WHY can't I have him as
my grandfather?
So, this interview is a turkey: I didn't follow through with what I
came seeking. And, what I eventually did get -- let's call it "aura"
for now -- is off the record. Too, I'm feeling so possessive about it,
that I refuse to share. What happened was, the journalist died and the
thriller-buff came alive... the governorship melted away and I entered
Smiley's world for a short, short time. Damned if I'm going to let
anybody take that away from me.
What, exactly, is "intelligence failure"? Where does the problem lie?
At any moment of time, there will be many gaps in intelligence
collection since it is not possible to get information on everything.
When such a gap in intelligence leads to some major incident or set-
back, then you start calling it an intelligence failure.
This failure has to be viewed in a proper perspective. For instance,
was it easy to get that kind of information? What is the nature of the
terrain in which the information was to be obtained? What is the
environment in which it was to be obtained? How hostile, tight and
difficult was it to operate in? You get pieces of information; you
form hundred and thousands of sources. You cannot straight-away come
to a conclusion how reliable these are and what the whole picture
means. This takes time. You have to weigh every aspect: What is the
access of the person? In what circumstances did he acquire the
information?
Such things are taken into consideration in vetting the information.
If the information does not appear reportable, it is kept on hold. And
when a picture starts emerging, or the degree of reliability of the
information becomes high, then it is reported. It's a very complicated
view. If we report everything that comes to us through different
sources, we would have to shoot off hundreds of reports everyday!
Isn't there some authority which takes all these bits and pieces to
put together?
In RAW, one wing is concentrated on only the collection and production
of information; the other is concentrated completely on evaluation and
analysis. There are very good officers who are in charge. But having
said that, no country can say that they will get prior intelligence
about every important event that occurs.
Before Kargil, there was a piece in the international press about
Pakistan buying snow-mobiles and snow-shoes. Shouldn't that have
tipped us off?
I don't know whether that intelligence is true, whether it was
acquired by some intelligence agency, and what they made of it. This
is something that the Kargil Committee, chaired by Mr K Subrahmanyam,
will go into. Whether this kind of shopping was really done. If it was
done, whether it was picked up or not picked up. And what a person
could have made of it.
You should also know that a conflict has been going on in Siachen
since long. There is a brigade worth of troops on both sides. Of
course, any intelligence agency officer would have known that 50,000
snow-shoes [chuckles] could not have been bought for sports. But it
could have been for their Siachen troops. It could have been for the
hundreds and thousands of persons who have infiltrated into Kashmir
valley and Jammu region. It could have been for anything.
But with something already going on...
All these regions are mountainous. The Valley Range, Shankhlabari
Range, Pir Panjal, they remain snow-covered throughout winter. You
can't really say: No, no, now they are going to head for Kargil. This
kind of thing needs further information. The pieces have to fall in
place for a picture to emerge and for you to come to a conclusion.
Where are the officers recruited from? Is it from the civil services?
The recruitment is done directly and on deputation.
Supposing I want to work...
Well, ah, the thing is, at what level do you want to enter? In what
field? If you want to enter as a political analyst, then there is a
political division. If you have economic expertise, there's an
economic division. For a scientist, there's a research and development
division. It depends on what expertise you are going to bring.
Then there is a procedure for selection at various levels. At the
highest levels of RAW, the general rule is that people who are already
qualified in Union Public Service Commission examinations and have
entered central services, are sounded whether they would like to join.
Then there is a board, which includes the foreign secretary, the
security personnel, etc, that interviews them. This is a high-powered
probe which selects at the top echelon. At the level of research
officers, there are different procedures for recruitment. Some are
even advertised.
Can any civilian be picked up?
Yes. There are scientists, academics, economists. There are political
strategy thinkers. And you have a lot of people from all-India
services, army, navy, air force.
So they are not essentially bureaucrats?
When RAW was started, and it was split from the Intelligence Bureau,
the dominant percentage of officers was police. That is no longer the
case; the police domination has been diluted over the years. We have
hundreds, maybe over a thousand people from the defence services. Not
all are officers; there are JCOs, signal-men...
In RAW, too? That is not a part of Military Intelligence?
No. There will be brigadiers, colonels, majors, group captains, wing
commanders, squadron leaders in RAW also. This is a cosmopolitan
organisation which has people from various walks of life.
MI is now being blamed for the lapse. It's said that RAW and IB did
their job, but MI goofed up.
That is not true. They all work in tandem.
Are there any territorial jealousies between the agencies?
Well, there is a bit of competitiveness which is healthy. But there is
not too much of one-upmanship.
Say I have a piece of information, which should go to a colleague to
make the picture whole; instead, I go with it to my boss. This kind of
thing...
Well, some of these personality or ego hassles you cannot really wish
away completely. But it is not much of a problem. There is a lot of
interaction and co-operation between these sources. These things are
often exaggerated.
But it happens. Sometimes, problems like the same source working for
more than one intelligence agency, or somebody wanting to project that
the intelligence which was found useful was mostly his effort, can
occur. It is human nature. But people at the higher levels see through
these things. And they do not encourage it. When such things come to
their notice, they shoot it down.
Like Brigadier Surinder Singh?
Brigadier Surinder Singh's is a separate case.
Is he being used by political parties?
I cannot comment on that.
Earlier, RAW had said that there were no Pakistani regulars in Kargil.
And right from the beginning, MI had said that they were there.
That is wrong. As a matter of fact, it took us quite a few days to
realise the composition of the intercourse, whether they were
infiltrators or whether they had come to occupy territory and hold on
to certain peaks. It took a week or more after the first detection of
the infiltration. This type of intrusion was such a blatant breach of
the Simla Agreement, it was not expected.
It is a different thing that we have to prepare for every eventuality
because we should know the adversary with which we are dealing. Having
said that, the thing is that even after the people were detected at
the sites, it was not known whether their intention was to come down
as infiltrators or to hold their place. The picture started emerging
by and by.
So it is not correct that a particular agency said they are all
mujahideen... as a matter of fact, there were hardly any mujahideen. I
see reports from both [agencies]. I'm briefed by both - on a very
regular basis, as the situation develops. So nobody can say this,
because I've been talking to senior army officers and to RAW officers.
This kind of controversy is not good.
Then why is the Kargil Commission required?
The Commission is there to go into all the circumstances surrounding
the intrusion, how it came about, and the connected issues. It is not
starting with a preconceived notion or on a basis of a charge sheet or
allegations. It is not a witch-hunt.
Some writers are already castigating Mr Subrahmanyam.
That is very unfair. He's a professional through and through and one
of our top strategy thinkers. Their reference is very wide, and it is
not pointed at fixing somebody, or finding the truth or untruth of a
specific allegation. But if they find that somebody was very culpable,
they will put it their report.
Is Brigadier Singh culpable?
I'm not privy to such information.
How did his report reach the Congress?
I really don't know what report has reached whom. And [evil grin] I
don't believe everything that comes in print. In fact, I tend to
dismiss it. I read some insinuation that he had sent the report to the
Chief of Army Staff. There was a categorical denial of this. I'm
really not in a position to be judgmental about this.
So this intelligence-failure scandal could well be a canard.
There must have been some pieces of information indicating some
trouble, but what it all meant may not have been clear at the time.
The point of more concern is, in these unheld and unmanned areas at
heights of 15,000 to 18,000 feet, what is to be done? To see that a
thing like this doesn't happen again, and to ensure that if an
intrusion takes place, it is detected quickly and our response is
quicker still, we will have to take care. We have to examine our
surveillance effort, our intelligence effort and how they should
interact and co-ordinate with each other. And what role technical
means can play in upgrading the collection of intelligence; what role
air reconnaissance will play. So that the chances of detecting
incursions at good time get maximised.
Aksai Chin in 1962, Operation Gibraltar and Grand Slam in 1965 were
not detected. And now Kargil. Is this not a non-stop intelligence
failure?
This is all speculative reporting by people who really are not in the
loop, who are not even in the fringes of knowledge. But they have to
write something or other. And sometimes it is motivated. In the sense
of some retired person wanting to write something in a self-serving
and self-projecting way. Such books are there in the market. But this
is not right. I have been in the game since 1969. There have been
failures. And there have been great successes.
Tell us some of the successes.
[Laughs] No, no, no. You are asking for too much.
But it's interesting! And is it going to harm India now?
RAW came about only in 1968; what you are talking about happened
earlier. The '71 war was a great success. We had very useful
intelligence on all developments and deployments, and very few things
turned out to be wrong. Whatever was reported was checked on the
ground, on the battlefield itself.
For example?
Take the case of the Battle of Longowal, which has been filmed in
Border. Of course, the film is fictional and heavily dramatised. But
the fact of the matter is, when one infantry battalion and one
armoured regiment were found at a particular place on their side, the
first reaction was: Hey, what are they doing there? It doesn't make
sense! Why, of all places, at an area which is of no great strategic
value, have they deployed one battalion and armoured regiment...? This
information was given by RAW. To check it out, they sent TacAR
(tactical air reconnaissance) and they found the tanks inside our
front. And the air force went into action.
When war takes place, the reserve formations move. You have to know,
where have the armoured divisions come? Where have the infantry
battalions been positioned? Where is the concentration? You are
expected to tell all this to the end-users, ie, the army. And it is
checked out on the ground itself. In a war, what you have reported,
better turn out to be correct.
Where does the romance of intelligence end and reality begin?
Mostly it is frustrating, in that you put in a lot of work and get
very little returns. And sometimes a nugget of gold just falls into
your lap. It's a very chancy thing. Every time you collect a piece of
hard intelligence, or make a very good assessment which saves some of
the national interest, you get immense satisfaction. You find that
whatever level you may be working on, you are contributing to the
national welfare. Sometimes you are working in a very hostile
environment...
In the sense...?
In target countries. You are all alone, and you have to watch your
back. You may be going undercover.
Do you read spy novels? Which author comes closest to reality?
Certainly not James Bond [laughs]. But Le Carre comes closest. He
captures the atmosphere and the pulls and pressures of the job. He
dramatises it, of course, but not much. Most of it is plausible; it
could have happened in intelligence agencies. He's a story-teller, a
plot weaver, so the dramatisation is there. It is not all that a
glorified world he shows.
ISI creates all this upheaval here. Do we do anything abroad...?
Well, RAW is a professional agency under political control. It doesn't
have an agenda of its own. It has to do things under proper clearance,
in line with its charter. There are some rules of the game we have to
observe, and we have to work within certain parameters and
discipline.
Secondly, though we have to be aggressive and go-getting type, we
cannot be brazen. We can't be caught with our pants down. Even in
intelligence collection, there has to be benefit of deniability. You
can't play the fool like the bull in a china shop.
You know what happened in Kargil and what's happening in the valley.
We have captured thousands of people who have told us everything: Who
recruited them, who armed them, who trained them -- everything. And
the intelligence agencies on that side are not bothered! This kind of
thing is brazen and crude. They feel that they can get away with it
because of the restraint that we exercise in the matter of not
enlarging the conflict.
Who gave us the Musharraf tapes?
[Laughs] I know but I can't confirm that.
East or West?
Why don't you sometimes give the credit -- it might have been an
indigenous effort! [Laughs] Is that too good to be true?
In a Chinese hotel. It has to be China.
That is a canard that can be spread to some advantage [laughs]. But it
will make some people in China fume. Certainly, all that has appeared
in the press is not correct.
Are you happy with the withdrawal of troops from J&K?
No; it has created a temporary problem. But we are getting over it,
and trying to get an alternative mechanism in place. Whatever gaps
resulted in the security due to the thinning of the troops, we will
take care of it, one way or the other.
Haven't we had enough of this proxy war? Can't we just go in and get
it back?
This can't be looked at in an emotional way. You have to see where it
could lead to, whether it is something you find acceptable
diplomatically, militarily and economically.
One is getting tired of the diplomatic part...
But it does play a part. If you are not at each other's throat, then
diplomacy is the only weapon available. These options of [chuckles] a
more hawkish variety can lead to very unsavoury and unpredictable
consequences.
How does China do whatever it wants? It's preparing for Taiwan now.
But is it going through? Sometimes you just flex your muscle, and
that's all. Sometimes you do a little more, and then stop. It takes a
very compelling reason, or foolhardiness, to cross a certain line.
Even if it is the LoC.
Are you hosting the Prithvi here?
What's that? Mr Prithvi-something [laughs]? No, I'm not aware of it.
There is a need-to-know basis. What good will it do for the governor
to know of it?
November 8, 1999
http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/nov/09gary.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
'Pakistan doesn't worry whether it has the benefit of deniability'
The ex-spymaster was hungry for intelligence.
"Tell me your impressions of Kargil," he asked Chindu Sreedharan, who
had returned recently from the shell-struck town. "How was the
shelling there? What could you read from the body language of our
troops?"
The next 15 minutes, thus, saw the former Research and Analysis Wing
chief and current Jammu and Kashmir Governor Girish Chandra Saxena --
'Garry' as he's known -- interrogating his would-be interviewer.
Finally, satisfied, he said:
"Okay, I have finished interviewing you. Now you can interview me!"
And thus started the session. For 30-plus minutes, the governor,
drawing on his experience as a former RAW chief, shed light on the
current border crisis in relation to India's intelligence operations:
How do you view the situation in the Drass-Batalik area?
It is a military situation, in the sense that it is an intrusion, not
an infiltration. The objective was to hold territory. They have partly
succeeded in disturbing the LC (Line of Control) alignment. Another
objective may be to interfere with the important highway from Zoji La
Pass to Kargil and beyond.
But primarily, what they have done is what they have not done before
-- a very brazen, deliberate and well-planned breach of the Line of
Control in violation of the Simla Agreement and the Lahore
Declaration. The Simla Agreement is a treaty that had sanctity from
1972 to 1999. For 27 years they had not attempted this kind of
brazenness. There is no way that the world will believe that the whole
operation was not planned and executed by Pakistan.
It is a very adventurous and risky move on their part. It contravenes
a treaty obligation. They are seeking to internationalise the
situation by creating an impression of a flashpoint in Kashmir.
We know they will not go beyond a certain point. But how far they will
go we don't know. Because they have gone far enough. We have no
intention, nor we have any objective to achieve, by escalating things
more than necessary. From our side there will be every care and
restraint exercised to see that it does not escalate beyond what is
inherent in the situation. But we have to resolve the situation,
taking whatever action needed to clear the area in which they have
intruded.
What is your gut feeling about the situation? Will it escalate into
full-fledged war?
Well, I don't know about the pressures on the other side -- domestic
pressures and particularly that of the Pakistan army. So I cannot
speak for them, but we will take every care not to let that happen.
And I have reasons to believe that their political leadership will not
like to take matters to a point when things will move out of hand.
What are the reasons for this belief?
The political leadership there (Pakistan) has nothing to gain. I think
the political class there shares our concern that things should not
get out of hand. If not in the same measure, they share the concern at
least in part. The further course of events is not in our hands. We
have to be on our guard. We have to be vigilant to see that we are not
taken by surprise as the surprise they sprang on us this time.
About that surprise, how do you see it? As the failure of Indian
intelligence?
Well, they could have done this all these years. It was an unmanned
stretch during winter months. What prevented them from doing it, or
prevents us from doing the same, is the respect for LoC that was being
observed by both sides. For more than 25 years.
This is the first time that it has been completely discarded. Brazenly
discarded. By their side. This was a soft area. Moreover, this was not
an easy access over the Line of Control. So the element of surprise
was on their side. As far as intelligence is concerned, there is
always a first time for something.
Of course, there have been reports that people are being trained and
are waiting across the border, but exactly where they would infiltrate
or at what time of the year was not known. The area being
inhospitable, intelligence operations cannot be run on the ground. You
are talking of 17,000, 18,000, 19,000 feet. We wish there had been
prior intelligence, but prior intelligence is not always possible.
The intrusion was a well-planned move. It took 'more than six months'
of intense preparation and training. You don't need to be on the very
terrain that it is executed to know about it. Yet, the agencies,
including the RAW, failed to get wind of it.
Planning is done on the drawing boards inside closed rooms. What
generally intelligence agencies pick up are its manifestations on the
ground. Like, for instance, training, being brought to the launching
pad near the LoC etc. This intelligence starts coming in pieces. There
will be dozens of such pieces. Where they fit into the jigsaw will
give you the larger picture, but that may require many more pieces.
Yes, there are also other ways of collecting intelligence than agents.
There is aerial reconnaissance, there's border intelligence. All these
will be reviewed and strengthened in the new scenario.
So you do agree that it is an intelligence failure.
There will always be hundreds of gaps in intelligence. If you call
every gap an intelligence failure, well, that's a different thing. In
anybody's intelligence set-up, whether it is the CIA or the MI-6,
there will be gaps. No intelligence agency can ever claim that there
are no gaps in its network. And wherever a gap is noticed, it affects
adversely on the network.
Yes, it is a relevant question to answer, a relevant area in which the
intelligence agencies should do some introspection and strengthen
their act. But having said that, no matter how many millions you throw
for operations, there will be some areas where you will not pick up
information.
As a former intelligence chief, how would you rate this failure?
Massive? Medium?
You see, preparedness of a country does not always depend on hard
intelligence. It depends on assessment, anticipation and overview. In
this case, there is a failure. We must have missed out on something.
They have been very brazen and adventurous. We should have anticipated
it because they have done it. (We should have anticipated) the kind of
adversary we are dealing with and the power structure in our
neighbouring country. Where can one pillar of power structure act on
its own? These are the questions that now arise.
The Indian army, which recovered an identity card of a regular
Pakistani soldier from the battle-zone, holds that the neighbour's
intention was to use infiltration as a fig leaf to cover intrusion. If
that was the case, why do you think they are sending in people with
identity cards?
That is a necessity. Every soldier carries an identity card even if he
is not in uniform. If something happens to him, it is needed for him
to be recognised. Otherwise, he will be dead and buried without his
family knowing. No one is ready to die like that.
As a former RAW chief, can you tell us the different ways of gathering
intelligence?
I cannot go into details. But there are various means. The important
ones are human intelligence or humint and elint or electronic
intelligence. Then there are reconnaissance, interrogations etc.
In this particular scenario, the terrain gives very limited scope for
humint. But for elint, there is no limitation. You can pick up their
signals. In elint you have so many components. You can pick up
photographs, for instance. You don't always need a satellite for that.
There are other platforms to do it. But everything depends on what you
make out of the information you pick up. Whether you are able to break
the code etc.
Aerial reconnaissance is easy. You can keep on doing that in your own
territory.
But, as I said, these efforts are put in at areas where they are
needed more according to you. In this scenario, the capabilities of
humint are limited. Near the border and on it, it is not easy to run
agents. It is very difficult to send agents across these heights and
retrieve them. When troops can't negotiate with all their winter
clothing and equipment, it is very difficult for a man on his own to
traverse the terrain. So the numbers involved are very few.
In such terrain what do you rely on most?
Electronic intelligence. What is called intercepts. And also aerial
reconnaissance and aerial photography.
What do you think needs to be done to prevent a repeat of such
incidents?
You have to find ways of running operations through human agents. But
otherwise also, there is no end to improving your facilities to gather
intelligence through electronic means and photography. It depends on
resources. It depends on R&D.
Are the resources that India has for intelligence satisfactory?
Quite reasonable to meet our requirements, I would say. But you must
understand that in all these things there is a cost effect. How much
man power you can utilise, how much money you can spend. These are
limiting factors. We are not a very rich country. But technological
advances are helping us now and we are mostly using indigenous
facilities.
About finance, do you think India is spending enough?
Nobody ever feels he has enough money. (Laughs) But I think,
considering all circumstances, successive governments have done their
bit.
How do you rate the intelligence networks in Kashmir, especially as it
is a militancy-hit state bordering a hostile country?
The network here has been good in spells. At the start of the
militancy, we were taken by surprise. Till then the intelligence work
was mostly being done in an undiscovered environment. It became not so
easy to remain in touch with your agents. It took time to put it all
together. Some people had better intelligence than others -- I am
talking about the army, paramilitary, state police... As a matter of
fact the most important factor is the network of the local police. But
that had its ups and downs.
In the recent years things have been much better. Co-ordination is
good, sharing is good and the network is more professional.
The greatest advantage that the agencies have had in the last year or
two is ordinary civilians -- sometimes out of revenge, sometimes
because they are fed up with militancy -- are coming forward to give
information. But they do it in such an obvious manner that many of
them are marked. And they pay with their lives.
Is there anything like a typical human agent? If you were to paint a
profile...
It's a very vast field. There can be so many types of agents. It
depends on their motivation. It depends on their access to
information. There is no hard and fast rule in picking up humint.
People work for you for different motives. You have to deal with so
many types -- mercenaries, patriotic people, adventurers, people who
do it for revenge...
So it can be anyone.
Yes. And every motive has its own pluses. But the most important
factor is access -- what exists and what can be created.
How would you rate Pakistan's ongoing attempt in terms of planning and
execution? And also in terms of counter-intelligence, as they seem to
have evaded the Indian agencies completely?
Well, they go ahead in a ham-handed way. They don't worry whether they
have the benefit of deniability, especially with India. All these
infiltrators, in a way, are intelligence agents. If you don't worry
about being caught, then you don't need to have that kind of
sophistication or security-consciousness.
They are working on a very large-scale, using a large number of people
and spending a lot of money, using weapons and equipment that they
have siphoned off from the foreign help that was meant for the Afghan
situation. They have siphoned off 50 per cent and more of it,
including Stinger missiles, wireless sets and things like that.
How would you compare RAW with Pakistan's Inter-Services
Intelligence?
For one thing, RAW is not an empire unto itself. It works under
political direction. And it doesn't have an agenda of its own. This
system has many pluses. You won't land your country in trouble. You
are accountable. So you have to make yourself very cost effective and
deliver what your charter requires.
From our side we feel we have to be sophisticated, play the game by
certain rules. Our charter is different from the one that they have
assumed. They have widened their charter, so their dimension is
definitely much more.
An accusation against RAW is that it is as bad as the ISI. In the
sense that if the ISI creates disturbances in Kashmir, RAW
reciprocates on the other side of the border.
I don't agree. Unless there's political clearance, RAW will not
undertake certain type of operations. Secondly, the charter of RAW as
I knew it was quite different. We don't want to get involved too much
in... I mean, cloak-and-dagger works, are inherent in intelligence
operations, but we had a very clear-cut brief of dos and don'ts.
There is another allegation that the BJP government at the Centre
wanted trouble with Pakistan. The reasoning is that an anti-Pak
feeling could translate into a Hindutva feeling and help the party in
the forthcoming polls.
I don't expect any major political party of being capable of such
action. We have a very responsible democratic political system.
Neither the BJP nor the Congress nor anybody will resort to this. I
don't have any evidence, but my gut feeling is that such a thing will
not happen in our country.
June 3, 1999
http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/jun/03gir.htm
bademiyansubhanallah
Last updated on: January 03, 2005 14:37 IST
National Security Adviser J N Dixit passed away on Monday morning. He
had suffered a massive heart attack and was brought dead to the All
India [ Images ] Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi [ Images ]
around 6.30 am.
He is survived by wife and two daughters. The funeral will take place
on Wednesday, sources said. The body has been kept at his residence
11, Safdarjung Lane, for people to pay their last respects.
Jyotindra Nath Dixit (68) was a career diplomat who had served as
foreign secretary. He had the unique distinction of having served as
high commissioner or ambassador in the capitals of all South Asian
neighbours, except the Maldives [ Images ], during a diplomatic career
spanning nearly four decades. He was an acknowledged expert on Indo-
Pak ties.
He was India's first envoy to Bangladesh after its creation in 1971.
He was the high commissioner in Colombo in 1987 when India signed an
accord with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and sent the Indian
Peace Keeping Force to the northern areas of the island nation at the
height of the ethnic crisis.
Nicknamed 'viceroy' during his tenure in Colombo, he had tremendous
influence with the government there during late Junius Richard
Jayawardene and later Premadasa's time.
He was the first Indian high commissioner to Afghanistan and had also
served as high commissioner in Islamabad [ Images ], considered an
important posting and a stepping stone to becoming the foreign
secretary.
He was a prolific author and columnist on international and regional
affairs.
Since 2003, he had been closely associated with the Congress party's
foreign affairs cell and played an active role in the drafting of the
party's pre-poll paper on foreign policy, defence and national
security.
When the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance [ Images ]
government came to power, he was appointed the NSA.
More about J N Dixit
Our Correspondent in New Delhi/PTI
Discussion Board
6 messages
one more blow
by Mohd Azad on Jan 03, 2005 01:26 PM
The death of Dixit is a great loss to the nation. We have lost a
visionary, defence and foreign policy expert. This is a second blow to
congress afer Rao.
it' a massive loss...
by naimitya on Jan 03, 2005 01:23 PM
After hearing the news of mr Dixit's demise the only words that can be
said is that it is a great loss.Diplomats of his kind are rare and we
needed a longer association with him.It is a loss of intellectual
property but i hope that we will find a able person who can take over
his work.
Condolensces
by Vinod Victor on Jan 03, 2005 12:50 PM
Heartfelt condolensces.
Rev. Vinod Victor
South Asia Partnership Programme
j n dixit
by s m osama on Jan 03, 2005 12:35 PM
His passing away is a great loss to the country,in this hour,when we
are building bridges to our neighbours specially Pakistan. He was a
very balanced,highly intelligent and well educated and very cultured
personality.His loss will be felt for a long time to come.I wish our
govt appoints an equally competent person soon.
Wish the family patience and forbearance in this hour of grief.We have
to remember that we all mortals have to go this way,sooner or later.
Osama
JN Dixit
by VS on Jan 03, 2005 11:24 AM
We have lost an intelligent bureaucrat
http://us.rediff.com/news/2005/jan/03dixit.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Rajat Pandit, TNN, 9 January 2010, 12:30am IST
NEW DELHI: The stage is being set for what will be the largest-ever
Indo-US defence deal till now. New Delhi has now formally approached
Washington for a direct government-to-government deal for acquiring 10
C-17 Globemaster-III giant strategic airlift aircraft, each of which
comes for over a whopping $220 million.
This would well supplant the $2.1 billion contract for eight Boeing
P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft inked last year and
the $962 million one for six C-130J `Super Hercules' planes clinched
in 2007.
With US aggressively muscling into the lucrative Indian market, often
bagging deals under its direct Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme
instead of vying in global tenders, the Europeans are getting
increasingly upset.
Some of them even see "American influence'' at work behind the Indian
defence ministry's scrapping of the almost-finalised deals like the $1
billion contract for 197 Eurocopter light utility helicopters and $1.5
billion project for six Airbus-330 MRTT mid-air refuelling aircraft.
Defence ministry officials, however, dismiss such `fanciful' claims.
The biggest prize, of course, is still to be awarded: the $10.4
billion project to acquire 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft for
IAF.
Two American fighters, F/A-18 `Super Hornet' and F-16 `Falcon', are
competing with French Rafale, Russian MiG-35, Swedish Gripen and
Eurofighter Typhoon in this hotly-contested race.
As for the Globemaster project, India sent `a letter of request' for
the acquisition of 10 C-17s to the US government last week after
getting the nod from the Defence Acquisitions Council headed by
defence minister A K Antony. "Under FMS, we will get C-17s at the same
price the US government buys them from Boeing, plus some service
charges,'' said an MoD official.
IAF certainly needs to augment its strategic airlift capability to
swiftly move large combat systems and troops over large national and
international distances, given that it has barely a dozen Russian-
origin IL-76 `Gajraj' aircraft. IAF's medium-lift fleet, in turn,
includes 104 Russian AN-32 aircraft.
The massive four-engine C-17 dwarfs them all. Capable of carrying a
payload of up to 170,000 pounds, it can transport tanks and troops
over 2,400 nautical miles.
With mid-air refuelling, the C-17 can go even longer distances. Rugged
as it is, a C-17 can even land at a small forward airbase on a semi-
prepared runway or airdrop over 100 combat-ready paratroopers directly
into a battlezone. "It can take-off and land in 3,000 feet or less,''
said an official.
There are 212 C-17s in service around the globe at present, with the
major chunk of them deployed with US Air Force. Other customers
include UK, Qatar, Canada, Australia and Nato.
Incidentally, India and US have already finalised the End-Use
Monitoring Agreement (EUMA), and the inking of the Communication
Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) is now
on the cards, to smoothen defence deals. The two pacts are required
under US domestic laws to ensure compliance with sensitive technology
control requirements.
Indo-US defence deals
* 2002: $190 million for 12 AN/TPQ-37 firefinder weapon-locating
radars
* 2006: $53.5 million for amphibious transport vessel USS Trenton,
with another $39 million for six UH-3H helicopters to operate from it
* 2007: $962 million for 6 C-130J `Super Hercules' aircraft
* 2009: $2.1 billion for 8 P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft
* And now, stage set for $2.2 billion acquisition of 10 C-17
Globemaster-III aircraft
Sid Harth
STAFF WRITER 17:53 HRS IST
Karaikudi (TN), Jan 9 (PTI) India should nourish a "burning ambition"
to overtake China and emerge as the world's largest economy as the
country was poised to become the most populous by 2030, Home Minister
P Chidambaram said today.
"China wants to become the world's largest economy. If India's
population exceeds China's in or about the year 2030, why do we not
have the burning ambition to become the world's largest economy?" he
said in his convocation address at the Alagappa University here in his
native Sivaganga District.
Recent history was replete with examples of countries at cross roads
making the correct choices and forging ahead on the path of
development, he said adding India grabbed the chance in 2004 with both
hands.
India clocked an unprecedented GDP growth of 8.5 per cent between
2004-09 and achieved several feats including landing a spacecraft on
moon, the Home Minister pointed out.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/460630_-India-must-have-burning-ambition-to-overtake-China-
Sid Harth
The result of red-tape, difficulties over land acquisition and lack of
funding, have long been a drag on Asia's third-largest economy
By Rajkumar Ray
Posted On Saturday, January 09, 2010 at 03:46:06 PM
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised to improve
infrastructure, a day after the head of the world's biggest steelmaker
Arcelor Mittal blasted the country over delays in getting projects off
the ground.
Infrastructure bottlenecks, the result of red-tape, difficulties over
land acquisition and lack of funding, have long been a drag on Asia's
third-largest economy, knocking an estimated 2 per centage points off
its growth.
"I recognise the frustration well-wishers feel when they lament why
things don't work faster or why well-formulated plans and policies
don't get implemented as well as they should be," Singh told a
conference of expatriate Indians.
"It is probably true that we are a slow-moving elephant but it is
equally true that with each step forward we leave behind a deep
imprint," he said, adding that economic growth could reach 7 per cent
in the fiscal year ending in March.
Beset by power blackouts, crumbling roads and choked ports, India
stacks up poorly against larger neighbour China, whose rampant growth
has been helped by Beijing's development of world class
infrastructure.
Indian businesses large and small, for example, are forced to self-
generate power in order to ensure supply.
Speaking a day after his government was criticised by Lakshmi Mittal,
chairman of ArcelorMittal, for slow progress on realising projects,
Singh pledged that his government would remove constraints.
The prime minister said his coalition government would address
bottlenecks in infrastructure, farming and healthcare, which are
priorities for the Congress-led government that took power last year.
(Reuters)
bademiyansubhanallah
Arun Katiyar
Saturday, January 9, 2010 8:52 IST
In 1944, the Maharaja of Mysore acquired 365 acres of farmland where
Magadi Road meets the Outer Ring Road and Malagalu Road and set it
apart for a beggars' colony.
A good 44 years later, a simple twist of fate changed the course for
63 of those 365 acres: then Chief Minister Devraj Urs met the
Archbishop and invited him to address the growth in the number of
leprosy patients in Bangalore.
Urs allotted 63 acres from the beggars' colony to what has come to be
called Sumanahalli — which, in Kannada, means "the village of people
with a good heart". Sumanahalli is a quiet, breezy, overgrown hillock
bristling with songbirds, mango and chikoo trees. It is home to 365
people who live on the quiet campus, afflicted with leprosy, HIV/ AIDS
or some form of disability.
Sumanahalli cures, rehabilitates and puts these people back into
society or, when that is not possible, cares for them like family. All
this is about to change.
Today, a massive flyover is coming up in front of Sumanahalli. In
fact, Sumanahalli has given 13 acres of land for this very
development, shrinking its size to 50 acres. Now, the government wants
the remaining 50 acres of land back. You can almost see a parking lot
coming up here over the rocks and stones.
But the government is almost right in asking for the land. Sumanahalli
got the 63 acres on a 30-year lease in 1977. Those 30 years have run
out long ago. Law and logic dictate that the land be returned. That's
also the problem: law and logic provide the way forward; they don't
provide answers to real issues.
When Urs gave the land, 20 acres were converted in different surveys
within the property so that Sumanahalli could build facilities all
over the property. The tacit implication of this was that Sumanahalli
could set itself up for the long term.
The organization has been given the responsibility of surveying 25
corporation wards in Bangalore covering 1.2 million people for leprosy
and of rehabilitating them.
Today, when the city has grown to reach Sumanahalli, the government
wants to evict them. So, what's more important: urban growth or
health? The simple answer, and perhaps also a naïve one, is to suggest
that Sumanahalli itself be moved to a location some distance from
Bangalore.
If the suggestion seems a good one, let's rephrase that idea: when the
city grows, the destitute go out with it. Doesn't seem like a just
idea anymore, does it?
The bigger question that must fox you is simpler. If the lease expired
in 2007, how come Fr George Kannanthanam, the Director of Sumanahallli
for the last 9 years, and his flock are still on the hillock? How come
he still runs the vocational training centers?
How come they continue to win awards like the National Award for the
Best Self Employee (1986, 1990, 1994, 2002), National Award for the
Best Placement Officer (1989), the Rajyotsava Award (1992) and State
Award for the Best Organisation in Karnataka (2007)?
It's a technical glitch and it happened like this: in 2006, a year
before the lease was to expire, it was decided that about 25 acres of
the land would go to the campus for the Visvesvaraya Technological
University.
In exchange, 30 acres would be granted to the Sumanahalli Society. A
little generosity on both sides would solve the problem forever.
So Sumanahalli waited to hear from the government. But what it did
hear was in July 2009. A cabinet meeting had passed the decision to
acquire all the land, worth, by any estimate, to be worth several
hundred crores.
Can you see what is happening out here? No, it's not necessarily the
obvious story of greed and avarice. It could be, but we don't have
evidence pointing to it. Instead, it's clear that land set aside for a
social cause is slowly being taken over, turned into commercial
property. Land use is changing. And it is the government passing the
orders.
Incidentally, the government is believed to be re-examining the order.
But the decision need not necessarily go in favour of Sumanahalli.
However, my concerns are somewhat different.
Here are two of them. When the government invites someone (in this
case the Archbishop) to address a problem, then throws them out, what
is the message going out to other NGOs? The short answer is, "The
government is not a reliable enabler for the long term."
The second question can lead to some consternation. The Joint House
Committee on Encroachment of Government Land in Bangalore City and
Urban District, headed by former MLA AT Ramaswamy, suggests that
45,000 acres of land worth a staggering Rs 50,000 crore stands
encroached.
Shouldn't it be recovering this land rather than working on throwing
out the disabled and the delinquents?
http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/main-article_refugees-of-progress_1332640
bademiyansubhanallah
INDIA & US: HAUNTING PAST & BECKONING FUTURE
B.RAMAN
(Written at the request of an Italian journal, which is bringing out a
special issue on the US later this month)
The US will continue to be a pre-eminent power of the world. Despite
its growing economic and military strength, China will not be able to
challenge the pre-eminence of the US. The pre-eminence of a nation is
not derived only from its GDP growth rate, foreign trade and military
modernization. It is also derived from its intellectual,
technological, moral and cultural strength and its ability to
constantly innovate and evolve. China is nowhere near the US in
respect of these factors. It is unlikely to be in the short and medium
terms.
2. The biggest asset of the US is not its armed forces. It is its
educational system---its schools, colleges and universities of
excellence. It is its democratic system, its multi-cultural ambiance
and its ability to harmonise and profit from cultural influences from
different parts of the world. China is yet to build for itself a
comparable educational system. Its one-party State is not conducive to
a robust intellectual debate without which the intellectual prowess of
a State and civil society will remain stunted.
3. Stalin and his successors built up the USSR into what they thought
was the equal of the US as a super power. Large parts of the world
looked upon the USSR as the equal of the US. Nikita Khrushchev even
talked of the USSR overtaking the US and “burying the US capitalist
system.” Look at what happened to the USSR and who was buried. The US
had the last laugh.
4. India is the only country in Asia, which can evolve into a power
comparable to the USA. Its democratic and educational systems, its
pluralistic civil society and its pervasive cultural influence are
strong foundations for its emergence as a power to be reckoned with
not only economically and militarily, but also intellectually and
culturally. India’s growing hard power as measured by its economic and
military strength still lags behind that of China, but its soft power
from which arises the ability to influence the hearts and minds of
people is far ahead of that of China.
5. China is a distrusted power. Even its perceived allies do not feel
quite comfortable in its embrace. There is hardly any distrust of
India across the world--- except in Pakistan.
6.Whether one likes it or not, the US influence will continue to count
in the years to come. Its economy will recover faster than one
imagines. Its military strength and stamina will remain intact
whatever be the outcome of its “war” against the Taliban and Al Qaeda
in the Af-Pak region. There can be no meaningful challenge to its
political influence. The stamp of its political influence will be
found in all major developments of the world, whatever be the region.
To talk of a world without US influence or even with a reduced US
influence will be illusory.
7. India has two options---- either continue to be inhibited in its
policies towards the US because of the negative experiences of the
past or get out of the stranglehold of these negative memories and
work for a new relationship with the US, which will be mutually
beneficial. The negative experiences and memories are still strong and
many. One can mention as examples the US attempt to initimidate India
during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, its building-up the military
strength of Pakistan, its closing its eyes to Pakistan’s misuse of
this military strength given for fighting communism for fighting India
and to Pakistan’s use of terrorism as a weapon against India, its
encouragement of the Pakistani machinations on Kashmir , its refusal
to sell modern technologies to India, its placing India for nearly
three decades in a nuclear dog house after the Indian nuclear test of
1974 etc etc .
8.An attempt to get out of these negative experiences was made by
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and Barack Obama’s predecessor
George Bush. The credit for visualizing India’s potential as an
emerging power of Asia capable of considerable benign influence across
Asia should go to Bush and his Secretary of State Condolleezza Rice.
They were impressed by the strength of India’s pluralism which had
kept Al Qaeda out of its Muslim community, the second largest in the
world after that of Indonesia. They were equally impressed by the
strength of India’s democracy and its soft power. They wanted India to
emerge as a pole of attraction for the rest of Asia to counter the
influence of China.
9. The foundations for a new strategic relationship between India and
the US were laid even during the presidency of Bill Clinton. During
his visit to India in 2000, Clinton and Atal Behari Vajpayee, the then
Indian Prime Minister, agreed on a new vision document to govern
bilateral relations. The first six years of the Clinton Presidency
(1993 to 1999) were wasted years so far as Indo-US relations were
concerned. India’s nuclear tests of May 1998, and the strong US
reactions to them and its joining hands with China during Clinton’s
visit to China shortly after the tests in opposing India’s legitimate
nuclear aspirations added to India’s negative vibrations towards the
US. The Clinton Administration’s support to India during India’s
Kargil conflict with Pakistan in 1999 saw a turning point in the US
policy-formulation towards India. Clinton’s successful visit to India
in 2000 gave a further momentum to the attempted move of the relations
in a positive direction, but in the few months left before he
completed his term of office, Clinton could not give concrete shape to
the new vision.
10. The first four years of the Bush Presidency too were wasted years
in Indo-US relations. The preoccupation of the Bush Administration
with the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the Af-Pak region and
with the war in Iraq and its dependence on the regime of Gen.Pervez
Musharraf in Pakistan came in the way of any vigorous thinking on the
US relations towards India. The first signs of a new thinking in
Washington DC on the importance of encouraging and helping India to
take up its place as a pre-eminent power of Asia, on par with China,
came during the visit of Rice to India in March 2005 and the
subsequent visit of Manmohan Singh to the US in July 2005.
11. The Indo-US agreement on civilian nuclear co-operation signed
during Manmohan Singh’s visit to the US in July 2005 marked the
beginning of the process of discarding the past and moving to the
future which was beckoning the two countries. India was taken out of
the nuclear dog house. The promises made by the Clinton Administration
to transfer dual-use technologies to India on a case-by-case basis,
which had remained unfulfilled, were taken up once again with greater
seriousness of purpose. Indian policy-makers were in a mood to
consider weapon purchases from the US, ridding themselves of past
fears that the US would be an undependable supplier of spare parts
which could be stopped for political reasons. Fears of US
undependability remained strong, but there was a realization that
these fears should not be allowed to come in the way for considering
new options for the future. For the first time in two decades, an
attempt was made by the Bush Administration in its second term to
reduce the trust deficit between India and the US and increase the
mutual comfort level.
12. The one year of Barack Obama as the President has unfortunately
not been a totally positive experience for India. There were hopes and
dupes. What was seen as the Obama Administration’s courting of China
resulted in a diminution of the importance of India as a counter to
China. US economic difficulties partly accounted for this courting.
There were other reasons too. The Obama Administration did not see
China as a likely threat to the US influences in Asia in the same
manner as the Bush Administration did. There was a feeling that the US
and China could live and let live in Asia without stepping on each
other’s toes.
13. The unmistakable anxiety of the Obama Administration to be
attentive to China’s concerns and sensitivities resulted in the
discarding of the Bush Administration’s ideas such as a democracy
quadrilateral involving the US, India, Japan and Australia and the
five-power naval exercises in the waters of South-East Asia involving
the Navies of the US, India, Singapore, Japan and Australia.
14.India was no longer seen as a power, which should be encouraged and
helped to reach an equality of status with China. The tacit US
decision to recognize China’s pre-eminence in Asia was evident in the
decision of Obama to legitimize a Chinese role as a benign influence
in South Asia during his visit to China in November,2009. This action
of the Obama Administration, more than anything else, surprised India
and was strongly criticized by many Indian analysts.
15.The failure of Manmohan Singh’s talks with Obama during his State
visit to Washington later in November,2009, to give a push forward to
the implementation of the civilian nuclear deal added to India’s
disappointments. The delay in the implementation has been attributed
to the Obama Administration’s reluctance to transfer to India uranium
enrichment and reprocessing technologies. Despite the flurry of spins
by the advisers of Manmohan Singh it is obvious that the no-changers
in the US in respect of nuclear co-operation, who are believed in
India to be close to Obama, are once again influencing policy and
Obama is disinclined to overrule them.
16. On Pakistan too, the past is back to haunt India. India’s hopes
that Obama will take a strong line towards Pakistan and will stop the
past pampering of Pakistan by different Administrations have been
belied. India has been noting with unease the repeated comments from
Obama and others about the need for a regional approach----whether in
relation to the restoration of normalcy in Afghanistan or the fight
against jihadi terrorism emanating from the Pakistani territory.
17.Pakistani analysts such as Ahmed Rashid have been able to sell the
idea to the advisers of Obama that a regional approach would have to
address the concerns of the Pakistani military-intelligence
establishment over what they view as the increasing Indian presence in
Afghanistan. This presence is viewed by the military-intelligence
establishment as detrimental to Pakistan's historic interests in
Afghanistan and its internal security, particularly in Balochistan.
Till 2004, the Bush Administration was attentive to Pakistani concerns
and sought to discourage an increase in the Indian presence in
Afghanistan. Its policy changed thereafter due to the belief that
greater interactions between India and Afghanistan could contribute to
the strengthening of democracy and governance in Afghanistan.
18. Similarly, analysts such as Ahmed Rashid have been trying to
convince Obama and his advisers that without a more active role by the
US in facilitating a search for a solution to the Kashmir issue, there
will be no incentive for Pakistan to act sincerely and effectively
against the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistani territory. The Bush
Administration was disinclined to follow an activist policy on Kashmir
and accepted India's stand that it was a bilateral issue between India
and Pakistan in which others should have no role. Obama and his
advisers seem prepared to revisit this policy, if not immediately, at
least at a later date.
19. The revived drag of the past has fortunately not reversed the move
towards the future. The credit for this should largely go to Manmohan
Singh, who seems convinced more than any other Indian leader that
periodic disappointments and misperceptions, which are inevitable in
the relations between the two biggest democracies and pluralist
societies of the world, should not be allowed to damage their joint
vision for the future. They should keep moving forward despite such
disappointments and misperceptions. That is what India has been doing.
20. All major political formations in India barring the communists and
large sections of its people want closer relations with the US and the
forward momentum to be maintained. The large community of Indian
origin in the US, which has been in the forefront of the intellectual
and managerial class of the US, are an important driving force in this
regard. So too, their relatives in India. Young Indians continue to
look upon the US with fascination. They have no memories of the past.
They have no time and patience for the political and politicized
arguments of the no-changers in India. They welcomed the changes
brought about by Manmohan Singh in our perceptions of the US and want
these changes to continue.
21. The forward movement, therefore, continues----with varying
velocity. And it will continue. But disappointments will continue to
take place too. Such disappointments will be as much due to India as
they would be due to the US. No thinking has ever been done in India
as to what it expects out of a long-term strategic relationship with
the US. It is often the US which decides what it will give to India
and it is New Delhi which accepts. India's expectations from the US in
the past were limited to US pressure on Pakistan to stop using
terrorism against India, removal of restrictions on the supply of
modern dual-use technologies to India and US support for India's
permanent membership of the UN Security Council. They remain the same.
Any strategic relationship has to be a quid pro quo relationship.
Since the US has hardly any dependence on India in any matter, there
is no scope for any quid pro quo.
22.India visualises itself as an Asian power on par with China.
Beijing does not see it this way. China views India as a sub-regional
Asian power and wants to keep its influence restricted to its
immediate neighbourhood. Obama's visit to China has uncomfortably
brought out to India that there is a convergence of perceptions
between China and the Obama Administration on the limited regional
role of India. China's pre-eminence has been recognised by Obama. He
has re-hyphenated India-Pakistan relations and quietly relegated India
to the role of a sub-regional power whose aspirations of having a
status on par with China are unrealistic.
23.In geopolitical matters, there is no futuristic thinking in India.
The quality of Indian thinking and analysis----strategic and
tactical----is poor. What passes for analysis in India is often
wishful-thinking. Nobody in India has realised and brought out that
for the first time the US, Japan and Australia have a leadership which
does not rate highly India's potential as an emerging power. There is
less and less talk of Chindia.
24. Someone once said that power and influence are not given. They are
taken. China has shown how to take it. India does not have the
political will and courage to fight for it and take it. It is hoping
that the US will give it. Bush and Condolleezza Rice seemed inclined
to bestow on India the status of an Asian power on par with China. The
Obama Administration does not seem to be so inclined.
25. Policy changes in India are rarely preceded by a debate in depth
on the implications of the contemplated changes. The change of policy
towards the US was brought about by Manmohan Singh without a national
debate in public or in the Parliament on the wisdom of the change.
Whatever debate was there in the Parliament with reference to the
nuclear deal tended to be more an exchange of rhetoric than an
analysis of facts and figures. There is hardly any effort to bring
about a national consensus on foreign policy. When changes are driven
by a determined individual and not by a national debate and consensus,
there is a danger of the policy being jettisoned if the
disappointments continue.
23. Can that happen to the Indo-US strategic relationship? Unlikely.
The large public and particularly youth support for a forward-moving
Indo-US relationship is a guarantee that the forward movement will
continue. (10-1-10)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat,
Govt. of India , New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For
Topical Studies, Chennai. He is also associated with the Chennai
Centre for China Studies. E-mail: seven...@gmail.com )
Posted by Naxal Watch at 8:37 PM
http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2010/01/india-us-haunting-past-beckoning-future_10.html
bademiyansubhanallah
INDIA & US: HAUNTING PAST & BECKONING FUTURE
(Written at the request of an Italian journal, which is bringing out a
special issue on the US later this month)
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers36/paper3599.html
25. Can that happen to the Indo-US strategic relationship? Unlikely.
The large public and particularly youth support for a forward-moving
Indo-US relationship is a guarantee that the forward movement will
continue.
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat,
Govt. of India , New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For
Topical Studies, Chennai. He is also associated with the Chennai
Centre for China Studies. E-mail:seven...@gmail.com )
Posted by Naxal Watch at 8:35 PM
http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2010/01/india-us-haunting-past-beckoning-future.html
bademiyansubhanallah
Indian Intervention in Afghanistan- A Reality Check.
By Col. R. Hariharan:
http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers36/paper3598.html
Recently the question of India stepping into the American shoes in
Afghanistan when the U.S. and allies withdraw their troops is being
debated by many strategic analysts. In particular Nitin Pai and Rohit
Pradhan writing in the Pragati January 2010 issue have tmade a strong
case made for Indian military intervention in Afghanistan;
Dr. Subhash Kapila writing in www.southasiaanalysis.org ( paper No.
3576) has focussed on the need for India to evolve contingency plans
for what he calls "the day after" when the Americans pull out.
My view on this issue is a loud no to sending of troops although one
can understand the strategic imperatives of such a decision. After a
pragmatic look at our current capabilities, Indo-Afghan relations, and
likely strategic developments in the region, my assessment is as
follows:
Reasons Against Sending Indian Troops to Afghanistan:
a. Our armed forces are hardly in a position to implement the recently
revised 'cold start' military doctrine which envisages the possibility
of a two front war with China and Pakistan. It also includes pre-
emptive neutralisation of terrorist bases across the border without
holding ground to prevent it from escalating into a nuclear
confrontation with Pakistan. These are tall requirements and our force
levels are just adequate to meet our current needs. They are not
enough to fully implement the cold start concept on two fronts.
b. Our armed forces have huge deficiencies in basic equipment i.e.
artillery guns, tanks etc. Even the small arms are obsolete. Such
large scale deficiencies could affect the fighting efficiency. Added
to this we have 25% shortage in officer strength in the army. These
are cumulative effects of years of our bureaucratic military
procurement methods and lack of accountability of defence research.
These have managed to keep our armed forces with the bare minimum
capability to fight a 20th century war, let alone the 21st century
one. Even with immediate remedial measures this situation is unlikely
to improve before 2013.
c. For meaningful military intervention in Afghanistan we have to plan
for containing a belligerent Pakistan while fighting Pak-supported
Taliban. Even if Pakistan is contained, for a COIN operation against
Taliban in Afghanistan we would require at least 100,000 additional
troops. That means raising a field army of at least five divisions.
d. It will be a logistic nightmare to support five divisions in
Afghanistan as both air lift and shipping would require strategic
support of Iran and CIS countries and probably Russia. It would be an
enormously costly affair.
e. To weaken our effort Pakistan has the option to heat up proxy war
in J and K front or trigger a shooting war on our western front. So
whether we like it or not it would be prudent for India to be
militarily prepared to face Pakistan as a proxy in Afghanistan and J
&K and for a direct confrontation on our western front, if we embark
on war in Afghanistan.
f. Given our nebulous internal security situation, it would be
strategically prudent for Pakistan to aggravate it through sponsored
terrorism. This could add to our internal woes and distract our
attention.
India's Internal politicalProblems:
Apart from the security aspects discussed above, there are other
considerations. Our political parties are well known to play the
minority card at the drop of a hat; so how will New Delhi politically
sell the idea of sending an expeditionary force to Afghanistan?
And Marxist parties would dub any move to send troops to Afghanistan
as reactionary response to satisfy the Americans. New Delhi's
political style in contentious situations is to strike a compromise.
If our experience in Sri Lanka, the only overseas operation of Indian
forces, is any guide the coalition in power would try to soften the
impact by delaying decision making, and then evolve compromises on
force levels and avoid providing clear cut strategic goals to the
expeditionary force. This would affect the effectiveness of our forces
in prosecuting the war in Afghanistan.
Age Old Indo-Afghan Relations:
Indo-Afghan relations are age old and if we have to make a strategic
move it should be at a time of our choosing based on our specific
requirement and not because the U.S. quits or brings pressure on India
to face the flak there. Historic milestones of Indo-Afghan relations
are as follows:
a. India has always had strong relations with successive governments
in Afghanistan except for the short period when Taliban was
controlling the nation. Thanks to Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan's
leadership, during freedom struggle Congress had the support of
Pashtuns who populate both sides of Pak-Af border. In fact Pashtuns
led by Khan Sahib had boycotted the referendum on partition. So
Pakistan got NWFP by default. However, subsequently when we became
independent we failed to maintain the rapport with Pashtuns alive
perhaps because it was no more politically relevant.
b. American Cold War response to Soviet occupation provided enough
incentives for Pakistan to expand its strategic hold in Afghanistan.
Pakistan used Pashtuns and other frontier people who were influenced
by Wahabi obscurantism to strengthen Afghan insurgents fighting the
Soviet forces supporting the pro-Communist regime in Kabul. It is
noteworthy that the Afghan regime in this period had enjoyed India's
full support; so in a way Pakistan was indirectly whittling down
Indian influence in what it considered as its strategic backyard. When
Soviets vacated Pakistan helped the Taliban to occupy this strategic
space in the emerging power struggle in Afghanistan after the collapse
of the pro-Communist regime there..
c. Indian supported the Northern Alliance (predominantly Uzbek and
Tajik militias) which fought the Taliban (composed of mostly of
Pakistanis and Pashtuns).But India did not provide any troops though
it probably provided arms.
Given this historic backdrop, India’s present non-military involvement
in Afghanistan is only a continuation of its policy to keep
Afghanistan as a strategic ally. India has constructed some of the
strategic border links and rebuilt schools and hospitals in Kabul. Our
BRTF men are undertaking the road construction with the limited
protection provided by Indian paramilitary. India probably has close
intelligence links and liaison with Karzai regime. Although Indian
presence is affected by the US sponsored COIN operations it is not
part of it. Of course, as India is providing strategic support to
Afghanistan in improving vital infrastructure, the U.S and NATO forces
are also benefited.
When US and Its Allies Leave-
When the US and its allies withdraw and leave Afghanistan to fend for
itself , theTaliban is likely to politically try to gain power. A
compromise solution where Taliban shares power with Afghan regime is
within the realms of possibility. If its cosmetics are right, it could
have international support.
But even if there is a compromise arrangement, it is likely to be
unstable as there are strong ideological and tribal differences
between Taliban and others. So any move by Taliban to militarily usurp
power is a strong possibility; it will have the support of Pakistan
military and the ISI, though the Pakistan government may play down its
direct involvement.
If such hostilities breakout it would be natural for Afghanistan to
look for international support. In such a contingency Afghanistan
would probably enjoy tacit cooperation and support of Iran (which has
its own ideological score to settle with Taliban) and material
assistance from the U.S. The Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov,
has already given notice of Russian intentions: "we cannot stand aloof
and be impartial on what’s going on in the friendly neighbouring
countries too." So Russia could also chip in. But none of them would
provide troops.
The China Factor
Of course, there is the China factor. Chinese are making huge
investments in Afghanistan and they would probably like a peaceful
Afghanistan to increase to consolidate their position. Steve Hynd in
his article "China eyes its Afghanistan moves" in Pragati has quoted
the deputy director general of the China Council for National Policy
Studies, Li Qinggong’s view that China would help facilitate
"deployment of international peace keeping missions in its land and
accelerating its reconstruction process" when the U.S. withdraw
military forces. Does this mean Chinese troops could become a part of
an international peace keeping force?
If an international force is not constituted, China’s options become
limited. China is a strategic ally of Pakistan. So obviously Pakistan
could influence the Chinese response. If the Pakistan supported
Taliban and India supported Afghan government are in conflict Chinese
would be comfortable if Pak-Taliban alliance wins. So China is a
factor to contend with in the region, although we may try to wish it
away.
Possible Role of India-
India is the regional power who that could provide sizeable military
assistance. While it could easily provide material, political and
diplomatic support and probably military equipment to beef up Afghan
army to fight Taliban, intervention with Indian troops would not be
such an easy task for reasons already discussed.
Beyond providing material assistance and military resources, it is
extremely doubtful whether New Delhi would send troops to Afghanistan.
If it decides to do so it has to get it its act ready in double time.
Our "democratic decision making style" is usually to take a plunge and
then work out a way to get out of the maze. Such a strategy could be
suicidal in Afghanistan if it India intervenes without adequate
political, military and diplomatic homework.
The moral of the story is simple: Anyone getting into the Afghanistan
morass will be sucked in as Pakistan, Soviet Union, and the U.S. had
experienced. At present India is neither politically nor militarily
ready to take the plunge. In spite of it, if India plans to do so it
should go with its eyes wide open to bear tremendous human and
material cost over at least five years of campaigning. Can we afford
this luxury? Any takers?
(Col R Hariharan, a retired Military Intelligence specialist on South
Asia, is associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies and the
South Asia Analysis Group. E-Mail: col...@yahoo.com Blog: www.colhariharan.org
)
Posted by Naxal Watch at 7:32 PM
http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2010/01/indian-intervention-in-afghanistan.html
chhotemianinshallah
PTI, 10 January 2010, 03:00pm IST
NEW DELHI: The area along Line of Actual Control with China has
"shrunk" over a period of time and India has lost "substantial" amount
of land in the last two decades, says an official report.
At a recent meeting held in Leh which was attended by officials from
the Jammu and Kashmir government, Ministry of Home Affairs and Army,
it was agreed that there was difference in the maps of various
agencies and that there was lack of proper mapping of the area.
The meeting was chaired by Commissioner (Leh) A K Sahu and attended
among others by Brigadier General Staff of 14 Corps Brig Sarat Chand
and Colonel Inderjit Singh.
While the absence of proper map was agreed upon, the meeting all the
same felt, "however, it is clear and be accepted that we are
withdrawing from LAC and our area has shrunk over a period of time."
"Though this process if very slow but we have lost substantial amount
of land in 20-25 years," it was said at the meeting held last month.
According to the minutes of the meeting, it was also identified that
"there is a lack of institutional memory in various agencies as well
as clear policy on this issue which in long run has resulted in loss
of territory by the India in favour of China."
The meeting was called to ensure proper protection to nomads who move
with their cattle to Dokbug area of Nyoma sector during the winter
months every year. In December 2008, Chinese People's Liberation Army
(PLA) had damaged their tents and threatened them to vacate the land.
"They (Chinese) have threatened the nomadic people who had been using
Dokbug area (in Ladakh sector) area for grazing since decades long, in
a way to snatch our land in inches. A Chinese proverb is famous in the
world - better do in inches than in yards," a report filed by former
Sub Divisional Magistrate (Nyoma) Tsering Norboo had said.
Norboo was deputed by the state government to probe complaints of
incursion of the Chinese Army in Dokbug area and threats to the local
shepherds to leave the land as it belonged to them. The area has been
used by the shepherds to graze their livestock as the area is warmer
compared to other parts of Ladakh.
The SDM contended that it was another attempt by the Chinese to claim
the territory as disputed in the same fashion as they had taken Nag
Tsang area opposite to Phuktse airfield in 1984, Nakung in 1991 and
Lungma-Serding in 1992.
The area of Dokbug and Doley Tango was frequented by shepherds and
nomads from December to March every year during which their young
lambs were capable to walk.
The SDM has also highlighted the fact that Army stopped these nomads
from vacating the land. The nomads were terrified by the Chinese
threats.
Last year, Chinese troops had entered nearly 1.5 km into the Indian
territory on July 31 near Mount Gya, recognised as International
border by India and China, and painted boulders and rocks with "China"
and "Chin9" in red spray paint.
The 22,420 ft Mount Gya, also known as "fair princess of snow" by
Army, is located at the tri-junction of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir,
Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and Tibet. Its boundary was marked during
the British era and regarded as International border by the two
countries.
Before this, Chinese helicopters had violated Indian air space on June
21 along the Line of Actual Control in Chumar region and also helli-
dropped some expired food.
Readers' Opinions
Comment
India has lost 'substantial' land to China: Official report
Yang Zhi Peng,Xi'An, P.R.China,says:These years, India has taken over
Kashmir, Sikkins and our Southern Tibet. What else do you want? The
whole Tibet, or the whole Asia? Well, if New Delhi is not joking,
they're dreaming. We won't take over any land of any oth country, but
we won't allow any country take over any land of China either. These
lands belong to China since the ancient age. If you continue invading
China, we'll no longer be polite. And, you can find that countres such
as USA and Russia don't dare to invade China. Instead, countries such
as India, Viet Nam, Malaysia, the Philippines do. In my opinion, the
reason is that these country don't know that China has the ability to
let them meet their doom. I wish that New Delhi would know it as soon
as they can.
[11 Jan, 2010 1753hrs IST]
Dinesh,Noida,says:Jing, I believe you are absolutely not aware of your
country past (invaded Soviet Union (BIS states), Russia, Korea,
Mongolia, Inida, Vietnam etc. Please read history and then put your
comments there. If we are responding hardly such incidents then that
dosesn't mean to put your pressure on such false reports.
[11 Jan, 2010 1735hrs IST]
k.venkataraman,new delhi,says:apparently china is brazenly usurping
our land because it knows that we are preoccupied with pakistan and
our military will have to have the political dispensations approval
even to fire a round in self defense and that our political
dispensation does not have the guts to give orders. first of all our
political dispensation does not know the difference between gun and
cannon. so long as this condition prevails in the country, we will
lose more and more land to our neighbors.
[11 Jan, 2010 1426hrs IST]
Jing Jun,Beijing,says:I am a Chinese.Actually we don't have a proverb
like "better do in inches than in yards".I can't even think of
anything similar. That makes me doubt the accuracy of this report. For
those who advocate war, better think again. India and China are both
nuclear powers. When fighting break out between two nuclear powers,
there no guarantee it won't escalate into an all out war. I think both
countries are mature enough to negotiate a solution. Hopefully cool
heads prevail and ordinary people will not suffer.
[11 Jan, 2010 1419hrs IST]
D.Prasad,NZ,says:If China is in a land grab mode,What is Indian army
suppose to do? Tell you what,they think India is weak,going back to
1962 border war. Sometimes I think we are timid.You have to nail
properly at an opportune time.
[11 Jan, 2010 1337hrs IST]
indian,capital,says:This is shocking that we Indians are not having
sufficient details of mapping. We ppl can't be lenient at all for such
serious issues and must force China to step back within their
boundaries at International level. I must say BEWARE CHINESE ARE
COMING to all people in politics who are busy in snatching their
seats, earning money rather than doing their duties for our country.
[11 Jan, 2010 1229hrs IST]
VK Sharma,Pune,says:This is hardly a news. How much of J&K territory
has China already received as gift from PAK government? China can
afford to bully even the giant military power like USA, be it human
rights violation, be it suppressing of democracy, be it building up
weapons of mass destruction, be it Tibet. India ,with its flip flop
and 'moralistic sermons' type foreign policy cannot match Chinese
Belligerence be it construction of airfields, be it pointing nukes
towards India, be it supporting armed insurgents, be it militarization
of Pakistan. All this started with Nehrus gandhian approach of hindi-
chini bhaibhai.
[11 Jan, 2010 1149hrs IST]
amit,mumbai,says:This is not pakistan but china .
[11 Jan, 2010 1141hrs IST]
vivek0507,bangalore,says:its alarming and scaring that China has taken
away our land.Where was our government and army? Chinese are known for
their aggression and their incursion strategies. Sad that over these
year all Indian governmnet played a role of a mere hapless
witnesser.Its high time that we need to get rid of our hell Nehruvian
polices. Before chinese inching towards towards Newdelhi, we need to
curb them and teach them a lesson. Also its important for us show them
that we are not as we were in 1962. -vivek nambiar
[11 Jan, 2010 1050hrs IST]
Alex,Canada,says:There's very little legitimacy to this piece, as
evidenced by the sources you have cited. I don't understand why Times
of India engages in this kind of journalistic hype. Do you realize
your site reads a lot like Dawn from across the border? Propaganda,
propaganda, and more propaganda. And you haven't even bothered to edit
your piece to ensure it's gramatically correct. Look at those
sentences. What do they mean?
[11 Jan, 2010 1043hrs IST]
Roy,Mumbai,says:India has lost 'substantial' land to China: Official
report. No political party in India has the courage to take on Chinese
territorial ambitions on Indian soil. It took more than two decades to
realise that we lost valuable territory! Whatever land lost is lost
for ever. We can only salvage our pride by giving the above subject to
any Bollywood film maker; let him create a fictitious super-hero
character like RAMBO. In that movie that SUPER-HERO would take the
fight on to the China's People's Liberation Army, do some spectcular
special operations and retrieve the land from China. And the audience
would shout JAI HO!
[11 Jan, 2010 1017hrs IST]
Jai Kumar Rai,Faridabad,says:I Cant resist my self to blog on this
issue again. This is it, very clear chineese crual & selfish
intensity. IF NOT IN YARD GRABE IT BY INCHES. Poor Indian
politics!!!!! Politician only comments. PLEEEEASE wake up from
graveyard should take some step. Atleast save land we owned this time.
Dont show to be patriotic be Indian. Feel it when some one snatch our
properties on our face. Please Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. President do
some thing strongly. I am not asking diclare war directly or proxy but
should take some step.
[11 Jan, 2010 1005hrs IST]
Akshay Verleker,Indianapolis,says:Chinese never were nor will be
friends of India. I dont know whats taking the army so long to respond
to their hostile incursions!
[11 Jan, 2010 0953hrs IST]
S. Kumar,Toronto, Canada,says:Chinese are nuisance everywhere. Indian
Aramy has to do the same thing they are doing. Confront and attack
when they come inside our territory. Simultaneously Indian Government
should raise this issue in United nations.
[11 Jan, 2010 0952hrs IST]
Praful Joshi,Mumbai,says:It's a shame that we are accepting this
tamely. What do they mean by saying that this was the result of the
maps of various agencies not matching? Instead of fixing the
responsibilty we are shoving it under the carpet by such expanations.
This reflects on the character of the nation we have built in the last
60 years. This is the price we are paying and will pay in future as
well, for smothering meritocracy and doing selection and recruitment
in all walks of life on criteria other than merits.Over the years we
have rewarded seniority, caste, minorities, religion etc. at the cost
of merits and performance.And today we have accepted that we have lost
vast land to the chinese because of maps not matching. What a lie?
Whom are we trying to fool? You mean to say all the vigilance at the
borders for the past two decades was a farce? This should be debated
in parliament and reponsibility fixed. Even if it means resignation by
defense minister, so be it. For the future, the policy makers should
acknowledge that if we do not reward merits in all walks of life there
will be more such reports and we will keep justifying and
rationalising.Good Luck India.
[11 Jan, 2010 0941hrs IST]
Anant sherh,BARODA (now USA),says:India has lost.. ... Anant Sheth
writes from BARODA (now USA) The hard fact is Krishna Menon during
Nehru's time dominated our foreign policy decisions of the country and
Nehru never did what the Dy. Prime Minister Sardar Patel opined in
most crucial matters in the cabinet because Wirh most members were
toeing Nehru's line for favours. There are innumerable instances like
this the public knew but they were helpless. Gandhiji never
interfeared in forign policy propounded by Nehru whose wish was to be
a great International leader rather than just be named Indian PM only.
Mr. Tharoor has rightly come out with similer observation about Nehru.
Many more who were then present like me repent for the wrong done to
this country by such policies. Luckily for us, loss of territory
admission has come ouy now and still this legacies of the congress are
continued and the country diesn't take a strong stand and allow China
to bully us and take away large chunks of valuable land rightfully
belonging to us. God save this country.
[11 Jan, 2010 0934hrs IST]
Indian,Delhi,says:What the hell is going on. Chinese taking our land
and our people making MOM.
[11 Jan, 2010 0925hrs IST]
rkpatel,wn,nz.,says:Neither NEHRU,nor PATEL are alive today..!! And
even if they had been ALIVE today,then there was not much they could
have DONE about the CHINESE-INCURSION..!! Anyway,WHAT CAN BE DONE
ABOUT IT and WHAT INDIA IS DOING ABOUT IT,are the main questions..!!
Like I have had COMMENTED before on this ISSUE that in DEMOCRACY the
only thing that can be done was to go to an INDEPENDANT BODY like the
UN..!! CHINA is well AWARE of the DEMOCRATIC-PROCESS..!! Rather than
being UNPOPULAR AT HOME,this is CHINESE-WAY of HANDLING the POPULATION-
PROBLEM..!! This is the way SOME-INDIANS WHO HAVE HAD NOTHING ADOPT to
GRAB LAND and HOUSES of ABSENTEE-NRI-OWNERS,with the help of CORRUPT-
GOVT-OFFICERS..!! Think about that for a moment..!! rkpatel, wn,nz.
[11 Jan, 2010 0915hrs IST]
aa,gg,says:i think india should act soon otherwise we will be slaves
to chinese
[11 Jan, 2010 0850hrs IST]
vanqush,ladakh,says:Premangsu Chowdry should "permanently" reside
abroad. For you it might be just a barren land but definitely not for
the locals who live there...I guess u just relate to grass only. One
has to defend their borders...there can be no 'chalta hai" attitude
otherwise we will be in deep sooner or later.
[11 Jan, 2010 0823hrs IST]
Tarun Dattani,Ottawa,Canada,says:"The Border is tranquil...."
according to Indian government.Well its about time it wasnt.Send the
military to the birder areas and station them where we think the
border is.Thats how the PRC thinks.This is one thing we should emulate
- beside economic reform.I still say high ECONOMIC GROWTH is the only
thing that will save us.We have the capacity,the brains, and the
manpower to pull it off!!If only we had leaders with guts?
[11 Jan, 2010 0807hrs IST]
ravindra uppal,Sydney,says:No military ,no war ,no violence but damage
will be far too much for China by nature's forces. Yes nature warned
before that no Country should show greed in grabbing land of her
neighbour or no Country should keep an eye full of greed to any of
Indian border or any Country of the World. Although nature loves
China.I would request China to back off and give entire land
encroached to India in few days.Nature is keeping a full eye on this
matter and would like to resolve this matter in next seven days if and
if China does not return this land .All nature wants ,is peace ,peace
and peace at any cost.Nature's offenders get no place to
hide.Regarding Pakistan some forces are showing terror to Indian army
by fighting in dark. Nature warns them not to do this any more because
Aam Admi of Pakistan,China and India and all Countries of the World
want peace so better create it. You can not greed for Indian Kashmere
any more and if you do, Pakistan will be divided in many parts by
nature.Although nature do not want this. Nature likes "aam admi" of
Pakistan who are very peace loving. and nature has done nothing due to
this. But your own enemy is the enemy you have prepared against India
for sixty years ,are going to attack you forever. May God bless all
human and make them peace loving."NO WAR AND NO COLD WAR JUST
PEACE,PEACE AND PEACE EVERYWHERE AT ANY COST."
[11 Jan, 2010 0748hrs IST]
naresh,guadeloupe,says:TOI now and then comes up with such stories and
provoke the minds of the people. When their columns of feedback is
full the story is lost in eternity. What's the use of what the people
think when you cannot followup the story. All those who have posted
their comment will not leave their warm beds to go and stand on the
frontiers to defend it on the contrary many will welcome not only the
Europeans but even the Chinese and those low lying creatures called
Pakistanis with open arms. I guess we leave the fate of Mother India
in the hands of all our Gods and Goddesses whom we so devoutly
worship.
[11 Jan, 2010 0726hrs IST]
jlkmn,deepgulf,says:one day china is going to come hard and will teach
the vascillating india a brute lesson.the seeds of appeasement were
sown by none other than Nehru.to be frank nehru was just going around
places for pleasure which is better known to every one in the name of
statesman. what sashi taroor tweeted or spoken is truth.tharoor u r
unfit to be a minister in congress. coming to chineese incursions into
indian territory what prevents indian army to come head on to contain
them? take appropriate steps like building roads and passages for fast
mobilisation. here we have to contain the corruption in armed forces
top brass. a corrupt man can sleep over the incursion if paid enough
money. so it is very complicated issue. government should wake up and
take appropriate steps. we should also act like chineese they talk
something on board and do differently in reality. to contain china we
have to give them stiff competion and take away their economic
progress by improving our infrastructure and attract the outsouring of
manufacturing sector to india. this will definitely make them less
agressive. we have to grow economically much faster than china. these
issues are complicated and needs dedicated effort. can the government
think in these lines?
[11 Jan, 2010 0719hrs IST]
shiva,australia,says:This is blatant goondaism by China but then as
usual our leaders are cowardly and impotent..
[11 Jan, 2010 0708hrs IST]
Harjap Singh Aujla,New Jersey USA,says:India should not sit over this
issue. India must lodge a complaint with the United Nations Secxurity
Council. China now trades with the whole world and arm twisting by
their trading partners can be a reality. China does not want its image
to be sullied and the world will also like to see china behave
properly.
[11 Jan, 2010 0708hrs IST]
Hemendra,Jacksonville, USA,says:Chinese are very shrewd and mean
people and very quitely and systematically are spreading world over ,
including here in the US , no wonder they will do the same with meek,
soft and gutless India, I don't think any would be suprised if China
and Pakistan combine will rule India one day ........its shmae on
Indian politicians on their non action and not retaliation ......wake
up India before its too late .....its high time we show our agression
( if we have left any) ...
[11 Jan, 2010 0649hrs IST]
Bharat,Bharat,says:Comments here are all about placing blame. Not one
person suggested what to do to stop this. This is exactly the problem
of Indians and thereby India. The only plausible solution to such an
issue is an open dialogue with involved parties and defining the clear
boundaries. And by open dialogue I mean transparent to the public. Am
sure age old solution of armed intervention will also be tabled but is
not an option at this point. As long as the uncertainties and
confusion regarding the boundaries are allowed to prevail such
incursions will continue.
[11 Jan, 2010 0632hrs IST]
Ram,Blr,says:I agree the credit for the Chinese incursion goes to
Jawaharlal Nehru. Its high time India retaliates with force or face
the consequences.
[11 Jan, 2010 0605hrs IST]
Premangsu Chowdry,temporarily abroad,says:Having been fortunate to
have had a fairly extensive knowledge of the area, may one mention a
few points on the border problem in Ladakh? The terrain referred to is
like the surface of the moon, a vast area of sand and stones with not
a blade of green grass for miles except in the summer in the otherwise
dry river beds.The technological advancements made in satelite
photography and surveillance should have brought out any noticeable
incursions in the area where nomadic 'villages' are temporary and the
few human beings are continuously on the move, like the fabulous
'chiru' or the beautiful wild ass knowing no borders. Mapping by our
GSGS with our friendly relationship with countries with great
expertise with satelite photography should not have been
difficult.Unless there is a major incursion with an ulterior motive in
a particular area in the region, by the Chinese, we need not bother
too much, as we may play the same game in the extensive border which
is impracticable to defend every mile.
[11 Jan, 2010 0559hrs IST]
Dinesh,USA,says:Today's Politician:- LET's " LOOT " India in 5 year
term & " Hell " with incoming Govt with land to China
[11 Jan, 2010 0508hrs IST]
Amol,California,says:Gone are the days of military conflicts limited
between 2 nations. Those are just for history text books. Its been
proven time and again, that modern conflicts are waged by alliance of
military powers. Even before the start of hostilities, a war's outcome
could be easily forseen by the alliances that the opposing nation
forms with the superpowers. In our unipolar world, China has more
leverage vis-a-vis America, due to the later's financial bailouts and
cheap imports dependence on the former. Under such circumstances, does
India think it can pull-off any military victory over China. The worst
case scenario would be as follows: In case of a conflict with China,
America actually supports China covertly by disabling military
hardware supplies to India or even worse disabling Fighter Aircrafts
being procured by IAF recently! What would India do under such a
situation ? Go begging to Russia for another 50 year military
alliance. What Indians haven't realised in the past more than 60 years
is, we need a balanced growth, a more modern foreign policy, energy
security, food security, zero dependence on gasoline oil, sustainable
economy, heavy population control, equal civil rights. More
westernized society, zero tolerance for religious bigots. All this
cannot be expected simply from the GOI, each and every Indian, from
every spectrum of society is required to participate. Diversity is NOT
India's strength, thats its weekness which is open for anyone to
exploit. Hence my advice, is not worry about pieces of land territory
at present. If China can stake claim to Tibet or Arunachal Pradesh
based on historical maps, India can claim, all of Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Burma, Sri-lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Tibet too based on
more than 5000 year old history. Why worry about territorial claims,
when we know that Might is Right. And we know that we are not mighty
compared to China.
[11 Jan, 2010 0448hrs IST]
SANTOKH SINGH,Norway,says:Reclail it. send Sikh regiment and uproot
the 3 foot tall chinese from there.
[11 Jan, 2010 0416hrs IST]
Premangsu Chowdry,temporarily abroad,says:Having been fortunate to
have had a fairly extensive knowledge of the area, may one mention a
few points on the border problem in Ladakh? The terrain referred to is
like the surface of the moon, a vast area of sand and stones with not
a blade of green grass for miles except in the summer in the otherwise
dry river beds. The technological advancements made in satelite
photography and surveillance should have brought out any noticeable
incursions in the area where nomadic 'villages' are temporary and the
few human beings are continuously on the move, like the fabulous
'chiru' or the beautiful wild ass knowing no borders. Mapping by our
GSGS with our friendly relationship with countries with great
expertise with satelite photography should not have been
difficult.Unless there is a major incursion with an ulterior motive in
a particular area in the region, by the Chinese, we need not bother
too much, as we may play the same game in the extensive border which
is impracticable to defend every mile.
[11 Jan, 2010 0415hrs IST]
Sanjay,Drohi,says:This story comes as a no surprise to me thanks to
those NAPUNSAKS sitting in the New Delhi. Shame on people who voted
these crooks to power who look after only their individual interest
and worry only about next election to keep their vote bank happy.
These are the people who will not hesitate even for second selling
their own mother if shown some green.
[11 Jan, 2010 0348hrs IST]
sagar,uk,says:Almost everyone who has commented has blamed somebody
for the chinese incursions and land grabbing!! Lets STOP & Lets THINK
for a moment.These are my views and I agree some blame on all other
establishments/organisations & individuals are correct however we are
equally to blame for the faults & shortcomings of our country &
equally we are responsible for the many good things & developments of
the country. 1) The blame should be divided by each and every
individual of this country who is educated but has not voted in the
past elections. 2) The blame should be divided by all educated voters
who voted keeping their self interest at heart first rather than the
interest of the country. 3) Blame should be divided and responsibility
taken by each and everyone who accepted these shortcomings and
failures and blamed somebody or someonelse but kept quite & said this
country is going to the dogs. 3) The blame should be divided by all
the individuals who bribed the baboos, politicians, officers &
accepted bribes in return in their day to day life, which created a
culture of red tape & bribery. 4) The blame should be divided by all
the individuals who have not demanded for better governance on
National security matters as well as many other important issues like,
reducing poverty & population, Increasing access to education,
healthcare & infrastructure throught the nation. The list is long
however if all individuals accepted blame and voted sincerely for the
most educated/nationalist & deserving candidates in elections then
there maybe hope for a better tomorrow.
[11 Jan, 2010 0322hrs IST]
SANJAY GOSWAMI,Houston, Texas,says:Looks like 1962 is repeating
again ! Why are we so scared of China ? Why cannot we mobilize our
forces with nuclear deterrents at Chinese border and take away the
land again which has been stolen from us ? I bet, this time, if we
mobilize massive forces at the border, China would not be able to do
much. Only thing , we need a bit courage. If the tiny Vietnamese could
teach China a big lesson, then why cann't we ? We need a strong leader
like Indira Gandhi to do this job.
[11 Jan, 2010 0321hrs IST]
Raj,NJ, USA,says:start pointing nuclear missiles towards chinese
targets no choice ! Increase troops deployment keep those foolish
politicians out of this game hand it over all command to Army let them
take their own decisions! We dont need any political interference in
those matters.
[11 Jan, 2010 0314hrs IST]
Amol,California,says:The responsibility of the GOI is to analyse the
dynamics of world politics and not just Indo-China. China understands
this better, and has all the leverage vis-a-vis USA (the only super-
power). Having leverage over USA has always historically decided the
outcome of any war. Whichever side the USA gives support, that side is
bound to win (politically, at the least). One scenario, I most dread
is as follows: A conflict emerges between China and India, as long as
India shouts anti-Communist rhetoric, it will get US political
support. However, given USA dependence on China for financial bailout
and cheap imports, I doubt USA will antagonise China. The worst fear,
is USA might actually help China covertly with militarily inputs just
the way, it did help Soviet Union during WW2 aginst Germany. This will
tip the war in favor of China or Pakistan. Has GOI (whoever
responsible), done such conflict simulations and their impact on end
results ? We can all see China has the most global clout. Whereas
Indians are still getting thrashed in Australia! In such a situation,
do Indians think we are really ready in this Global world for a
Conflict with China. I think its suicidal.
[11 Jan, 2010 0313hrs IST]
Neel Rana,Langley, U.K.,says:It is really surprising to read this
article, in future how much land does India want to give up to its
neighbour. Well, again it is the weak political leadership that India
has; where Congress has ruled more times than any other party; that,
India has lost its land, otherwise there wouldn't have been such loss
of land and there wouldn't have been rocket firing from across the
borders of India, it is ironical, that, where India is blessed with a
strong and robust armed force, there is weak political leadership.
[11 Jan, 2010 0257hrs IST]
niki,Mumbai,says:very good, by the way who cares, we are all busy with
our personal gains.
[11 Jan, 2010 0241hrs IST]
Raj,Germany,says:Arunachal Pradesh, Nepal, Bhutan and what more? They
already have a sizable claim in the JammuKashmir region. FOR HEAVENS
SAKE, ATLEAST NOW RETALIATE. INSTEAD OF PLAYING POWER POLITICS. SLOWLY
THEY WILL CLAIM THE WHOLE OF NORTH-EAST FRONTIER AND THEN STAKE CLAIM
INTO DELHI, KOLKATA, AND FINALLY INTO CHENNAI AS WELL.
[11 Jan, 2010 0151hrs IST]
otisvik,sweden,says:re claim it, use force if needed n may be its the
only way to do it. at this time china needs india more then india
needs china. ask all the indian polity, haw come no body is crying
about it?is it not that the congress party is sold to china?let the
military rool be once for a while to putt the responsible behind the
bars till chaina is evickted fr my mother land. what is next?why is
there no progress regarding our borders?and why have we tharor like
chickens in the govt?same the congress for selling my mother land.
[11 Jan, 2010 0137hrs IST]
Nirmala Patwari,Hyderabad,says:Well, the credit for the Chinese
incursion or whatever it is, belongs right royally to Jawaharlal
Nehru. The playboy was merely interested to move around the world like
a kid with a rose tucked in and ingoring the national interest.
Contrary to general perception, he lacked political insight, and did
not know even the spelling of diplomacy. The present content states
that the incursion has been happening over the past 25 years. So Rajiv
Gandhi Playboy Junior knew it, or did he ingore it? And from 2004,
Sonia de facto Prime Minister has witnessed it. The report states that
merel low offical went to console shepherds. Was it not incumbent upon
the Defence Minister and the Unipon Cabinet Minister to inspect the
areas along with top Army men and take a swift corrective step? Well,
in between Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Kargil hero was PM. And why did
the nationalsit party sleep over it? But the major credit and Bharat
Ratna for this must go to Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh.
Does the government of India have the courage to come out with a white
paper on this issue? It must be tabled in the ensuing Lok Sabha
session. Do not think my suggestion is absurd. Critical situaton calls
for critical action. When surgery is needed, it must be done.
[11 Jan, 2010 0124hrs IST]
NINA G,KTM NEPAL,says:HOW DOES IT FEEL? INDIA REGULARLY DOES SIMILAR
TO NEPAL ALONG ITS BORDER AND EVERYBODY KEEPS QUIET. IT HURTS, DOESN'T
IT
[11 Jan, 2010 0122hrs IST]
Amol,California,says:The Indian Army Chief has correctly assuaged the
emerging threat preceptions from 2 directions, to our north and west.
Hence the need to be fully prepared to engage and win in a 2 front
simultaneous war. This type of warfare is logistically the most
complex and involved effort, which cannot be achieved without
dedicated personnel and detailed planning and a lot of practice and
training jointly by the tri-services. Most powerful nations in the
world history have lost utterly in a 2 front war. The most recent
example being that of Nazi Germany. It had a weak Briton on its
western front and a Communist Soviet Union on its eastern front. A
situation very similar to current India's position. Even with
technological and tactical superiority on both land and Air, Germany's
Eastern Army was routed completely which opened the flood gates to its
ultimate capitulation. Did the Indian Army Chief think of such a
scenario and create a backup plan ? Would that be Nukes ? Are these
functional and non-interceptable, given China has successfully carried
out ASAT test. I feel India should keep patrolling the border areas
more actively and should be opportunistic in nature. Land grabbing can
be done by Indians too. Its not the preserve of Chinese only.
[11 Jan, 2010 0115hrs IST]
pankaj rawat,dubai,says:this is really very socking & pathetic on part
of our sleeping goverments...wen these politicians will wake
up ???????????
[11 Jan, 2010 0100hrs IST]
Hemendra,UK,says:That's fine, now lets start "Aman Ki Asha" with China
too.
[11 Jan, 2010 0059hrs IST]
Dinesh Patel,Surat,says:Did I mentioned about Indian media, They are
bigger joke. This is Dinesh Patel reporting with camara man Sanjay
Gupta. Dinesh
[11 Jan, 2010 0058hrs IST]
Pal,Panda,says:All these issues have snowballing effect if they kept
ignored like we did for last 5 decades. Its time to stand up and work
towards a solution. Offense is not an ideal solution, but we need to
bring out these points strongly on strategic platforms globally. We
need bank on support from UN or Western world to mediate. Indian
authorities must awake and share information with Indian general
public as well.
[11 Jan, 2010 0056hrs IST]
Onlooker ,USA,says:If the Cowardice Policy of the worthless Indian
Government continues , India will be a colony of China as Tibet is.
[11 Jan, 2010 0044hrs IST]
Regi,USA,says:Where gone the media crazy Army Chief - who announced
the operational strategy of fighting China & Pakistan at same time?
The Indian military is no better a match to China than it was in 1962.
[11 Jan, 2010 0040hrs IST]
Devendra,Lucknow,says:ThE Indian Govt. is sleeping and complacent with
the fact that there is nobody/party to question them. Totally
irresponsible Govt.
[11 Jan, 2010 0035hrs IST]
Ravi,pune,says:shouldn't Arnab on TIMES NOW shout his lungs out over
this ? he sounds very nationalist when it comes to Pakistan!
[11 Jan, 2010 0017hrs IST]
Realty Check,Check,says:This is also a race issue. The issue is with
the HAN race. The HANs do not believe in god or religion. The HAN race
like the other racist-races want to destroy or enslave all pagans and
their religion and take their lands and resources. Hindus are
considered pagans(idol worshipers). When you talk about human rights
the coward Anglo(race) do not have the courage to take on HANs. The
gullible pagans believe that god will help them and show them the way.
While all these other racist-races believe that you got to help
yourself. So China, help itself with some extra land. The issue is not
only land. It is about existence and values. Â
[10 Jan, 2010 2346hrs IST]
vijay,hyderabad,says:THIS INDIAN GOVERNMENT SUCKS.....BIG TIME....THEY
ARE A BUNCH OF GOOD FOR NOTHING MINISTERS......THEY SHOULD ALL BE
REMOVED FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS......
[10 Jan, 2010 2331hrs IST]
Mr. Chrysantha Wijeyasingha,Clinton, USA,says:Now that India has found
the evidence of a slow incursion of China annexing Indian land, India
needs to move fast and far. She needs to convince the UN of the
illegality of the existing land, win crucial UN support and legally
take back the land China has confiscated. If India chooses to solve
this bilaterally she might has well be silent for China will not and
cannot admit to such drastic violation of international law. This
article demonstrates the inability and the sheer short sightedness of
the Indian leadership for this to take place in the first place.
[10 Jan, 2010 2322hrs IST]
the master,mauritius,says:"Better do in inches than yards"This is a
great saying coming from the human mind and it sounds beautiful but in
God's mind it is "Better do in yards than in inches".As far as India
is concerned the latter is better.That's why it does not matter about
the inches and it is right.Why?Because life itself is made in such a
way that you take by inches and you pay by yards.1st example.One works
by inches and pay by yards.2nd. example.One learn by inches and
rewarded by yards.3rd example.one live by inches and die in yards.4th
example.One eat by inches and pay by yards.Meaning that sooner or
later the chinese government has to pay in yards through a natural
process for what it took as inches.This is the Truth.
[10 Jan, 2010 2321hrs IST]
REVAN,D Q,says:indian border security force what they r doing BSF they
should stop them and need to inform to PM for take action.INDIA dont
worry we r stronger then china..they dont have proper weapens for
attack us.. and whatever they have its not working proper and thats
all fake.weapon they have..allover world nows chaina items not long
live..
[10 Jan, 2010 2321hrs IST]
Piyush,USA,says:What the hell govt of India, Indian army are doing
when they are FULLY AWARE that this has been China's policy and they
are acquiring our land?
[10 Jan, 2010 2310hrs IST]
Piyush,USA,says:What the hell govt of India, Indian army are doing
when they are FULLY AWARE that this has been China's policy and they
are acquiring our land?
[10 Jan, 2010 2310hrs IST]
RAMAN LAL RANIGA,VANCOUVER,says:Has any ever taken their land on
death? Human must learn to live in unity. None ever have taken an inch
of land with them be it BRITISH CHINESE OR INDIAN OR PAKISTANI OR ANY
OTHER. HUMAN MUST LEARN TO LIVE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AS HUMAN LIFE IS A
SHORT JOURNEY OF LEARNING FOR ALL HUMAN SOULS TO LEARN PREM RESPECT TO
ALL CREATIONS NOT SPREADING ARMS OF WARS AND DADAGIRRI THAT LEADS TO
UNRIGHTEOUS LIVING AND WARS AND POLLUTIONS KILLING RAPES AND MAYHEMS.
REMEMBER HUMANS WHAT YOU SOW YOU WILL HARVEST SURELY..
[10 Jan, 2010 2305hrs IST]
Bharatiya,Mumbai,says:It is shocking to learn about the loss of land
to China? Is any politician really upset about it?
[10 Jan, 2010 2255hrs IST]
PK,Canada,says:We have lost substantial land from quite a long time.
Indian rulers (politicians) are short sighted, their only interest is
to win local election. If this abuse continues India will lose its
status as a country, and then there will not be any local election as
well. Wake up, people of India. It is time to say get out to all these
politicians, and find a better alternative. Come out of shadow of so
called developed nations. Be a leader.
[10 Jan, 2010 2253hrs IST]
Sunil,Sydney,says:This is how we have lost our lands over the last
1,000 plus years, inch by inch. We do not care nor do we have the will
to protect ourselves. We have no disregard for national interest and
fight each other, while giving more to those who want to harm us. We
have no idea of nationhood at all.
[10 Jan, 2010 2250hrs IST]
Jai Hind,London,says:What is our Leaders doing to safe guard the
nation? It seems as if anybody can take the Indian land for free. Our
nation seems to be ruled by all traitors who have no respect for our
nation-How can anybody look at such a-we have everything to be one the
leading country in the world but due to lack of leadership,country is
suffering since the fall of The Ashoka The great. We have lost so much
land to Pakistan-Bangladesh-China-Nepal but is anybody worried about
this NO, our cheap leaders are busy in filling their own pockets-As I
have mentioned earlier what is the point of building an Empire if you
can't protect it.
[10 Jan, 2010 2250hrs IST]
Gaurav,Bangalore,says:Expect more like this while Congress is
there !!! I think its time for these spine less leaders to spare this
country !!
[10 Jan, 2010 2245hrs IST]
Narayan,USA,says:Can we get into Chinese territory and paint India and
Hindi in Red too? I may be a "bloody" civilian, but I am a patriot and
I can lead our troops, if our top brass is unable to take a decision.
[10 Jan, 2010 2240hrs IST]
indian,USA,says:Wat the hell and fucking things were going in india as
all the politicians are sucking people's blood.So they were simple
corrupting the country and now start to think that may would have got
money from china so they covered land.
[10 Jan, 2010 2237hrs IST]
v b rajan,delhi,says:india must be very realistic in its relation with
china. they had some concreate plan in Ley and Ledak v b rajan
[10 Jan, 2010 2231hrs IST]
Sentu Tikadar,Malaysia,says:Is there no Indian Military Bunk or BSF
out post to protect our land and villagers ? What our Govt. is doing ?
Are our politian fearful to discuss this Chinese attrocities in
parlament? The bunch of spineless diplomats and the politicians who
are silent on this issue and leave this concern on time coming- shame
on your cowardness.
[10 Jan, 2010 2229hrs IST]
sachin,dubai,says:Are we so coward Mr. Prime Minister, that you are
afraid to confront China and Pakistan to give back our own land!!!. if
so, then whats the use of doing all the big talk about having the 4th
largest army, 5th largest Air force when we can't defend out own
land...
[10 Jan, 2010 2227hrs IST]
Ram,Dubai,says:HI Where is our National security Idiot Mr.Narrray who
is the No 1 spy for china and where is Man(mental)mohan singh and
suniya all r planning to sell india for their interested and vengence.
Dont worry next year china will take over Tamil Nadu..... see the
administration shame on indian Army,Airforce and Navy Dont forget
during Nehrus period one Menon Now One sivshankar menon sold our
country. Narco test to be ordered on both the aniti nationals
(Narayanan & Menon)
[10 Jan, 2010 2225hrs IST]
Anil Thakur,Bangkok,says:As an Indian one can't help but be
disappointed. The successive governments over the last several years
(irrespective of the party in power) have shown no spine to defend the
sovereignity of the country. Its a fact that India is econimically and
militarily weak - and many times over, compared to China but that does
not mean that we should put forth a meek surrender. Wish sincerely
that leadership could come up with some effective long term plan to
deal with the situation.
[10 Jan, 2010 2220hrs IST]
S Bhattacharya,India,says:The Chinese have this tendency of provoking
India to do something drastic and give them a chance to go in an all
out altercation. The total drama of threatening the nomadic tribes and
purported incursions into the Indian territories are well planned,
Chinese ventures. I guess, it is time for us to look straight at them
eye to eye. It must be very clear to the Chinese, that this is enough,
and nothing further will be tolerated.
[10 Jan, 2010 2201hrs IST]
vijaydewar,Kansas City, MO, USA,says:There is no Economic might
without military might. India must strive for military superiority
otherwise china next door will make sure we have nothing. China will
alway rob us our land, money, progress and will see that we stay at
poverty level because China is not like other developed countries.
Look at their total land area which they have been slowly acumulating
over the thousands of years. India does not have very many options but
to keep the stationed army on LAC if they do not want to loose any
more land to China. Without presence of might on the borber you can
not stop chins. Deterent is the best defence.
[10 Jan, 2010 2200hrs IST]
Jagdeesh ,Chennai ,says:Brilliant article. We need more such articles
like this exposing the cowardly Indian establishment. This is another
reason why India is on the precipice of being declared a failed state.
A country unable to protect her own borders, from multiple enemies
from any means, whether from terrorism or through conventional means.
Cities with overwhelming populations, inadequate infrastructure,
corrupt inefficent policemean, ineffective state/central apparatus.
Massive poverty on a national level, massive illiterate population,
corrupt politicians, criminal politicians, corrupt beauracracy from
policeman to visa officials to politicians to Armymen, etc. India is
indeed shining. Apart from reaching number 1 status in test cricket,
and posting 'great' 9% economic growth, What else have we acheived?
Sooner or later, after 50-60 years of independence we have to ask
ourselves the one fundamental question. Has our 'great' democracy
failed us? Have we been unable to reach super status because of our
democracy? Is our democracy aiding the corrupt politicians or the
people? Just recently I saw a news article on water shortages in
Mumbai and now the underworld and opportunists have taken over. Is
this a good sign for our democracy in 2010? Many Indian pundits like
to harp on India reaching superpower status by 2020. How can this
happen when huge swathes of the population cant even get access to
such fundamental rights like proper sanitation, food, shelter and
water. Our media needs to ask this questions. A second Indian Freedom
Struggle is beginning!
[10 Jan, 2010 2154hrs IST]
sivaa,singapore,says:We have all most equal amount of power power and
number of administrative like chine, Still indians are living in fear
by talking about gandhism, Indians should remember that the hasty in
action and trying to cover non violence is not a solution, since our
motherland is raped by chinese now
[10 Jan, 2010 2149hrs IST]
Rajni Dimri,Nederland,says:This will keep on happening as our nation's
policy is to bow head all the time in front of our enemy neighbours,
made by Nehru-Gandhi policies. So is the Aman Ki Asha(worthless). So
learn a lesson from stupidity of Indian government and come out with
some good articles which tells the indians to come forward and live
life with pride and tit for tat lessons when it comes on nation's
pride.
[10 Jan, 2010 2139hrs IST]
Prashant,Pune,says:This is china's pre-planned act. china inc has been
fudging their balance sheet and their 8% grown is fake. This China Inc
Bublle will soon burst. In that case, it will be hard for the
communist party to control the chinese people who might start asking
for democratic reforms. If they do chinese rulers could play india
card to divert their attention from the domestic issues to "national
pride" issue. In that case they would need some reason to attack
india, tibet is one but it will be hard for them to use it
(interenational community will get involved), they need something
which will only hurt india, hence capturing our land illegally is
chinese legal policy.
[10 Jan, 2010 2127hrs IST]
prafull,mumbai,says:No worries,the Congress president and it,s
ministers like Chiddambaram, Pranab and the rest will give them a
fitting reply,like they have been doing it to Pakistan, all these
tears.They also take swift action against, the Naxals, sadhvis,
Thackerays, Modis and call the Godhra thing a black day in India. They
also call the massacre of Sikhs during Indira,s death as a golden day.
They want a muslim PM and the probable candidate would be Afzal Guru,
Dawood or Qasab. The Hindus of Hindustan long to be slaves to the non
Hindus. Long live Congress.
[10 Jan, 2010 2044hrs IST]
Sharad,US,says:The agencies and the whole system running India can
hardly be entrusted to safeguard the interest 1.20 billion people. The
bureaucracy is one of the most incompetent in the world, the
intelligence is far below par and army itself is only depedent on
foreign arms and has not been able to get even one world class weapon
built in India after 63 years of independence. The netas themselves
dont have trust on the Indian system and hence they have been hoarding
tonnes of money outside India so that if the country dis-integrates or
something untowards happens, they will run away and live with that
money elsewhere. If the leaders themselves have so less trust, what
will they do to the country and to protect its borders ?
[10 Jan, 2010 2036hrs IST]
Naveen Kumar,Germany,says:Our great leaders including communists are
responsible for this.
[10 Jan, 2010 2020hrs IST]
Uday,Mumbai,says:So much for vigilance...the lesser said the better.
Twenty five years long years and now we discover that the Actual line
of Control has changed. Which are the institutions that are supposed
to monitor the land at the border?
[10 Jan, 2010 2001hrs IST]
AyanSen,Mumbai,says:Another spiteful attempt by the Congress Party to
change Indian history to save its "Fathers". This time its Nehru.
India lost the area along LOAC long before last two decades. It was
1962 when under PMship of Nehru India lost the Sino-India war to China
and was forced to hand it over to them. People lived in that area
always knew about it. But in history it would be written the way INC
wants!! Like, they transformed "Caliphate" movement into "Khilafat"
freedom movement to save Bapuji. It's time TOI, let people know the
real history.
[10 Jan, 2010 1943hrs IST]
Dinesh,Mumbai,says:Actually its the lack of Indian political will that
has forced the Indian armed forces to keep GAZING - watching how China
swallows entire India inch by inch. Our Indian politicans are GOOD for
NOTHING.
[10 Jan, 2010 1931hrs IST]
Sumit,India,says:This is absolutely horrifying.We should do something
about this.
[10 Jan, 2010 1907hrs IST]
Rohit,Delhi,says:India should take firm steps to ensure that we do not
keep losing land to China from here on. We are losing some of the most
beautiful parts of the country. If we stay indifferent to this issue
for long, than before we realise, Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh would
be Chinese, not Indian
[10 Jan, 2010 1902hrs IST]
Dr Pradeep K Chadha,Dublin, Ireland,says:Politics is like a chess
game. At international levels, it is played everyday. If Chinese can
be as smart as the news says, what prevents Indians from being
smarter? Some wise people believe that a poison kills a poison and
iron cuts iron. Do we not have wise people in our system who can
outsmart and out-manouvre the Chinese at the game of diplomacy and
politics? Why do we have to complain about everything? When a problem
arises, the solution has to be found from within the problem. Wisdom
is a different ball-game than a qualification.To sort out this
problem, we need people who are knowledgeable and wise and not some
bureaucrats or politicians who are only working with an eye on how
much money they will be making out of a particular situation.
[10 Jan, 2010 1846hrs IST]
vinay_vk,Nalgonda,says:problem is .. there are millions of Indians who
are patriotic .. but no politicians/civil servants who are patriotic..
unlike in China .. why not pay them more and more so that their greed
for money dies .. after all money is nothing but a way of exchanging
services ..
[10 Jan, 2010 1842hrs IST]
P.N.SUKHEJA,MUMBAI,says:India has lost substantial land to China
during last two decades.It shows that there is continuous aggression
on India China border and our government has not given attention to
this. During the period for some time BJP,who's government was
supoosed to be more vigilant was also silent.Shri A.B Bajpaye our ex
prime minster has visited China why this matter of slow but continuous
agression was not taken or has this been kept seceret.Indian
government atleast now should take political steps such as lodging of
protest with Chinese govt put outside pressure,take help from UNO and
recover the Land.
[10 Jan, 2010 1839hrs IST]
Sarang,Pune,says:Well, there you have it! Finally, an official
recognition of the sad facts. Its laughable though, that India's own
agencies are not in sync about the boundary....and we have dreams of
becoming a super-power!! Sheeeesh!! But, there is still time! Let the
whole of India get its act together NOW!! Politicians, Bureaucracy,
Defence Forces and the Citizens of India have to be on the same page
about the actual boundary as accepted by the Government of India. Let
all the above mentioned agencies of India first co-ordinate their maps
and form a single map of the border agreed by all parties within India
and then let the army build checkposts or roads or whatever
infrastructure they want upto this commonly decided border!!!! And
lets stand our ground against the Chinese at this border!!! No more
inches to the Chinese!! If there is even one more inch on which even
if one Chinese foot falls, cut off that foot! India has to take a
stand at some point! Enough is enough!! Otherwise 20 years down the
line Chinese soldiers will be seen patrolling Shimla or Itanagar or
Gangtok!!
[10 Jan, 2010 1828hrs IST]
ssmoorthy,carmel usa,says:India so far managed to lose significant
amount of land to China and later it will be a lot of land or parts of
the country.We,Indians are poor in documentation and keeping the
records as seen with maps from various departments.In certain legal
documents it is extremely important to have precise
documentation."Chalta hi " feature will be disastrous.
[10 Jan, 2010 1826hrs IST]
basant Bhatt,USA,says:Shame to Indian Politician. Those responsible
should be punished and get thier pension back.
[10 Jan, 2010 1807hrs IST]
Sant2020,Delhi,says:All this is result of corrupt Indian politicians
who are just self serving and who thinks of nation and protectors of
nation, the defense forces. Fact is that we have spineless leaders
which are also making our system spineless where no one can function.
[10 Jan, 2010 1806hrs IST]
baba,US,says:I am an Indian living in the US. Next year I will become
an US citizen and cannot wait until that day comes. Even though I was
born in India I am really ashamed of being called an India. Such a
shame isn't it? I know most Indians would hate me for being an Indian
and hating India and getting converted to a US Citizen. But if you
look at the cause of your hatred you would know that only reason you
hate me is because you want to be in my shoes but you can't. Do you
think India will ever solve its problem of more than half its
population living below poverty ? Do you think it will solve the
corruption of politicians ? Do you think it will solve its territorial
problems with China and Pakistan with peaceful means ? The answer is
not in your lifetime. Its funny when you look at a problem from
outside instead of from inside. And you dont need to tell me that you
hate me because I already know you do.
[10 Jan, 2010 1749hrs IST]
Kamlesh Kumar,Tilburg,says:It's unfortunate that government is not
putting this matter on international stage given the fact that the
news is credible. While, on the other hand TOI has lost it's
credibility in my view because of its fake stories. In spite of
understanding seriousness of this issue it is hard to believe on TOI
news these days. The TOI team is a group of money mongers who can go
up to any extent to increase their number of viewers. Sorry for
talking hard but it's true. I have a couple of evidences. PS: It is my
request to all readers, " don't believe on TOI news without confirming
it from other news sources".
[10 Jan, 2010 1741hrs IST]
Sangat Singh,USA,says:HINDI-CHINI BHAI-BHAI. BACK-STABBERS GO ON
GRABBING LAND; WE ARE, AFTER ALL, YOUR ENEMY.
[10 Jan, 2010 1738hrs IST]
Rajesh Raheja,London,says:Depressing news! And what is our polity
doing about this?
[10 Jan, 2010 1738hrs IST]
A Dass,Singapore,says:There is no rivalry between India and China.
China does what it wants, and India lifts up its sari. Manhood in
India boils down to shooting Jessica, forcing Ruchika to die, raping
women in cars, hunting down Tharoor as he has no real backing,
stealing money from the people and country on a daily basis, not
standing up for the country.
[10 Jan, 2010 1727hrs IST]
SAK,Dubai,says:Indian army and officials are always busy with pakistan
and the terror attacks from some groups. the actual termite is china
and they are scared to even claim countrys' loss. what bunch of looser
we have in name of government. Good Job Guys keep it up and fill your
pockets.....
[10 Jan, 2010 1727hrs IST]
manish,europe,says:This is not surprising, in Leh we are already
dealing with forced conversion to Islam by terrorist, (My friend is
from Leh), and our government lacks the metal to deply force on
chinese border to check the encroachment, they are too busy with
minority appeasement in india that we are compromising on the
integrity of our Nation
[10 Jan, 2010 1724hrs IST]
R R Madhav,Bangalore,says:This is the biggest achievement of Kangress
raj for more than 50 years.
[10 Jan, 2010 1722hrs IST]
Choos Lee,Beijing,says:India is nothing compared to us Chinese. We
play with the country as a kid plays with toys. Naxalites supported by
us are wrecking havoc there. Politicians of Communist parties are our
paid servants and survive on our dole,every village in China has
electricity, toilets and paved roads, look at the condition of Indian
villages? We are a sporting superpower (no.1 in medals tally last year
olympics) accept it your pathetic India is ages behind China and will
never be able to better us in anything although you guys I accept are
no. 1 in the world when it comes to corruption and acting as cry
babies (going to US and UK everytime Pakistan sneezes hahahaha)
[10 Jan, 2010 1710hrs IST]
narayana,muscat,says:as long as pseudo secular, impotent traitors are
ruling India and Indian media, indian intellegentia mind space and
exploiting the gullible for vote bank, india has no future. it already
lost a lot land space to islamic fundamnetlaist traitors over the
centuries and will continue to do so
[10 Jan, 2010 1701hrs IST]
kumar,kerala,says:As the wisdom goes"if we do not take a stand others
will sit on our head". Chinese is general are agressive. It is time to
stop whining and take a stand.
[10 Jan, 2010 1657hrs IST]
Ashie,Australia,says:AND OUR THIEVE (POLITICIANS) ARE WATCHING THIS
DRAMA !!!!. AND ENGAGED IN DEALING WITH US AND PORING THEIR POCKETS.
JAI HO !!!!!!!
[10 Jan, 2010 1656hrs IST]
jP.M.G.Pillai,Mannar,Allaopuzha,Kerala India,says:dearon line
editor,between India and China in fact there should not be any disute
on borders.Ur was demarcted by a well International person and this
was accepted by the then sovereign goverbnent of Late Chuang Kaishek
and after the Chinese Communisy Patrty took over also there was no
serious doubts on this established boundary.No one under stand the
move of present day government to annex teritories held posses and
occupied by India long.The Chinese government should under stand when
they came to power and after that there was no nobe by India tio shift
voundaries hence the persistant irritating action of the china is an
incorrect policy if the policy is friendship.India has not intention
to wage any war but can not allow its teritores held for years ti be
bargained or gifted for cultivasting neighbourly relations. In this
affair both [p;itical leaders must adopt a sensible policy of
reopening already settled borders.If there are anu afjustments which
can not be there in the circumstances it isbetter to maintain the
statusco.Only the Chinese government must recosile to earlier facts
established dated January 10th 2010 Time 1652Hrs ist P.M
[10 Jan, 2010 1653hrs IST]
Dipak Kumar Rai,Chennai,says:Please wake up Mr. Prime Minister of the
Union of India before it's too LATE. (Probably it is already LATE)
[10 Jan, 2010 1640hrs IST]
Sudhanshu Gupta,Germany,says:Jaago re mere desh ke logon..Why do we
always win the land and leave it when our neighbors are not doing so..
[10 Jan, 2010 1638hrs IST]
chhotemianinshallah
IANS, 11 January 2010, 10:47am IST
BALASORE (ORISSA): India on Monday successfully test fired the Astra
air-to-air missile from its Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the Orissa
coast.
The beyond visual range air-to-air missile was tested at the Chandipur
test range at about 9.45am.
"The test was a success," S.P. Dash, director of the ITR, told IANS.
Another Astra missile is scheduled to be tested from the same test
range later in the day, he added.
chhotemianinshallah
Brahma Chellaney, 29 July 2009, 12:00am IST
In India, no technological advance is too small to be celebrated
nationally. The launch of a nuclear-powered submarine for underwater
trials is an important step forward in India's quest for a minimal but
credible nuclear deterrent. But India still has a long way to go.
After all, it will be some years before India can deploy its first
nuclear sub armed with sea-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). Yet
the mere flooding of the dry dock to begin the harbour trials of INS
Arihant became an occasion for national jubilation, with the prime
minister present at the event to hail it as "a historic milestone in
the country's defence preparedness." It is as if India already has
joined the club of nations with nuclear subs.
To be sure, nuclear-powered, ballistic missile-carrying submarines
(known in US argot as SSBNs) can help India bridge the yawning gap in
its deterrent capabilities against China. Moreover, only such subs can
underpin India's no-first use (NFU) posture. For an NFU to be
credible, the country needs a second-strike capability. If a country
does not have the capability to retaliate after surviving an enemy's
first strike on its nuclear assets, an NFU would make no sense.
Nuclear-propelled subs, with their high endurance, serve as a
stealthy, least-vulnerable and cost-effective launch pad for nuclear
weapons. Deterrence can be achieved with less number of missiles at
sea than if they are land-based.
Still, some harsh facts stick out. India has paid a tremendous
international price for its nuclear programme without reaping the kind
of security benefits it should have. And the gaps in its deterrent
posture remain glaring. Indeed, among nuclear-armed states, India
stands out as the country with the slowest rate of progress in
deterrent development. Can it be forgotten that India's nuclear
programme is the oldest in Asia and that its first nuclear test
happened more than 35 years ago? Yet, India's 'credible minimal
deterrent', far from being credible, has yet to deliver minimalist
capabilities against China. India still does not have a single
deployed missile of any type that can reach Beijing.
Let's face it: No country in history has struggled longer to build a
minimal deterrent than India. There are multiple reasons for that,
including the absence of a resolute political leadership, the
country's accountability-at-a-discount culture, western technology
sanctions, the non-existence of independent oversight or audit,
creeping politicisation of top scientists and the bureaucratisation of
strategic establishments. Also, unlike Britain, China, Israel and
Pakistan, India received no assistance from another nuclear power and
has had to develop everything indigenously while facing a rising tide
of technology controls.
In the absence of a reliable nuclear deterrent, India remains
irredeemably dependent on imports of conventional weapons, spending
more than $5 billion annually on such purchases, some of questionable
utility. Among important states, India is the only one that relies on
imports to meet basic defence needs, to the extent that it has become
the world's top arms buyer.
Yet that record has not stopped India from being boastful. The start
of Arihant's underwater trials ought to have been a quiet affair, not
a national event. After all, 11 years after a thermonuclear test, that
technology is yet to be weaponised. Take another example. The Agni 3
is still to be deployed, yet the DRDO chief held a news conference
earlier this year to brag about the likely first test next year of the
Agni 5, which is still at the design stage. The press then went ga ga,
portraying the Agni 5, with a maximum range of 5,000 km, as an
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) when, in reality, it is just
another Intermediate-range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) in India's
agonisingly incremental missile-development path.
Which other country in the world advertises every technological move
or brags about a missile still on the drawing board? To the contrary,
the long-standing tradition in the nuclear world is to quietly develop
and deploy capabilities. India is the lone exception to that
tradition.
Instead of launching a crash ICBM project drawing on the
intercontinental-range capabilities of the space programme, India
remains stuck in the IRBM arena, where its frog-like paces have taken
it two decades after the first Agni test to Agni-3, a non-strategic
system. In fact, if everything goes well, India's first SSBN will be
deployed with a non-strategic weapon a 700-km SLBM under development.
That would further underpin the regional and stunted character of
India's deterrent.
Of the three technologies nuclear propulsion, SLBM and ICBM the most
complex are the first two. Developing a nuclear-weapon-strike
capability from underwater is far more difficult than firing missiles
from the ground. Yet, while seeking to develop an SLBM-armed nuclear
sub, India still does not have an ICBM project, even on the drawing
board. India wants to go down in world history as the first nation to
deploy an SSBN without having developed an ICBM. 'Incredible India'
indeed.
Readers' Opinions
Comment
Top Article: Substandard Capabilities
Robert Mathew,Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,says:It is a well known fact that
India is a paper tiger and count the chicken before they are hatched.
No country in the world divulge their capabiities to the whole world.
Look at China, a power that far beyond India's reach, does not bark at
the moon. The men in DRDO and ISRO must lament at the failurs which
has pushed our country 100 years behind any other power. Indai's
plight, in en evantuality will be very pathetic despit the vain boast
of the men who claim to be successful.
[2 Aug, 2009 1852hrs IST]
vinu,London,says:Brahma is probably the only commentator other Raja
mohan who make any sense.
[30 Jul, 2009 1937hrs IST]
Shalinee Singh,Noida,says:It is a bitter truth about our country. Why
do we need to publicize so much about our defence pregress?
[30 Jul, 2009 1104hrs IST]
Raj Gupta,Tennessee, USA,says:An excellent article. The author raises
a very pertinent point of the poticization of the Indian Scientist
community.
[30 Jul, 2009 0900hrs IST]
vkguptan,Bangalore,says:A very good summing up of our present defense
scenario.
[30 Jul, 2009 0630hrs IST]
Raghu,US,says:Agreed, this should have been a quieter affair. India
sure lacks the political will to sustain such developments. While the
anguish of the writer is appreciated, I will not go and undermine the
efforts our scientists had to overcome. ICBM or Nuclear Sub is not
just a technology issue. The repercussions from other countries. At
best, these can be accelerated and maintained more secretively. But
again, people want to know what happens if China or Pakistan attack.
Ultimately it boils down to our politicians. Lack of leadership. We
sure can be a force to make that change. Indians UNITE.
[29 Jul, 2009 1917hrs IST]
Bharat,uk,says:I could not agree more with you sir.I have been
following millitary developments in India since last 10 years and all
I am hearing is the success of tests. The actual deployment of these
tests are not done and we keep on boasting our capabilities.(why are
we so proud of our 500km missiles?) Unlike our neighbour(china) who is
actually deploying the tests into production and actively use them in
their millitary. Pakistan on the other hand do not have the capability
on their own,but they buy from china which give them an edge over us.
We have unmanned aerial vehicles(nishant,rustom etc...),AAD/PAD air
defence systems,KALI(the fictional star war prototyope),Arihant (part
of ATV project),the tin dumpster gorshkov, another tin dumpster LCA-
the indigeneously developed fighter plane-how can it be indigenoeus if
it does not have an indigenoeus engine and I don't want to start on
kaveri... and the list goes on.....all of these tech sounds good on
paper but most of them are just prototypes..... Even our nuclear
weapons are of low capacity....we don't stand a chance against china
either for offensive/defensive operations It makes me think wither we
are spending without planning or our poiliticians are eating a chunk
of the defence budget.
[29 Jul, 2009 1716hrs IST]
Avinash G,Wash DC,says:You make a balanced argument about the military
preparedness in India. I think you are being overly cynical in
presenting it towards the end though you have made a mention of how
hard it has been for India to develop / acquire these technologies.
Just so I don't come off as an unabashed chest thumper Indian who's
thinking we are doing everything right. I do not believe that. I think
we are doing a pretty decent job. We have a lot of constraints. Mr.
Chellaney, people like me who are half-baked are all over the planet.
I presume with your knowledge and background you can pan out a better
argumentative article.
[29 Jul, 2009 1023hrs IST]
Shishir Pandey,Surat,says:With reference to the article "Substandard
Capabilities" (July 29) by Brahma Chellaney,I agree with him on the
facts that the pace has indeed been slow in deterrent development but
I would like to differ on the opinion that we brag about every other
technical feat. Nuclear technology is the bane of international
community as much as it is a bliss for economic progress. India has
refrained from conducting any nuclear related activity in a
clandestine manner and it takes pride in it. We take pride in it as
Indians. Hailing a significant technological boost not only instills
awareness and faith in the minds of fellow countrymen, it is also
morale boosting for the organisations and the people involved in it.
The writer himself talks about indigenous development of these
technologies which makes the case even stronger to appreciate every
step forward in an appropriate manner.
[29 Jul, 2009 0858hrs IST]
Mahesh Mantri,USA,says:Good article by Dr. Chellaney. I was wondering
exactly the same as the author as to what was the need to celebrate an
event as ordinary as flooding the dry dock. God knows how many more
years will pass before this sub is operational. For a change it was
good that many naval experts tried to calm down the general ignorant
public by saying we have a long way to go before we can boast of
having built a nuclear sub. A country of more than billion people
(majority of them absolutely ignorant as far as military technolgy is
concerned) this is very natural. There are crores of people who have
never used an ordinary washing machine and at the same time we are
trying to project ourselves as some kind of technology innovators.
[29 Jul, 2009 0647hrs IST]
Arijit Sengupta,Calcutta,says:Dear Mr Chellaney, Bang on. It is
increadible that it took us 11 years to build at best what can be a
Tech demonstrator. We should have figured out a way to build a bigger
sub every 4 years and should have been in a position to test at least
3 or 4 IRBM's or ICBM's a year. Maybe it would be best for the DRDO
and Govt. Labs to only monitordesign and get the Pvt. sector involved
like the West.
[29 Jul, 2009 0214hrs IST]
bala srinivasan,saginaw.mich.usa.,says:even though the professor is
mostly A in his factual presentations,he gets a C- for his emotional
anguish.INDIA has every right to boast in the launching of the nuclear
sub with minimal of assistance.as for the thermonuclear capability
INDIA has proved ALL BY ITSELF its technological capability inspite of
all the western powers tut tutting.it is INDIA's time and india's
century and let no one dare to come its way.the author may get a
little annoyed in india's chest thumping but it did earn it all by
itself even if our learned prof feels it to be a tad
premature.afterall all our neighbors on either side stole the
technology from various sources which we consider sinful.
[29 Jul, 2009 0053hrs IST]
Elango,New Jersey, US,says:Well written and thought provoking article.
I am wondering why there are no comments regarding this. We seem to
bask in glory for every small traits.
[29 Jul, 2009 0000hrs IST]
bademiyansubhanallah
affects water supply in Sangli. PTI Photo Photograph (1)
Farmer suicides in Vidarbha on a decline: official stats
STAFF WRITER 13:27 HRS IST
Nagpur, Jan 12 (PTI) Farmer suicides in Vidarbha, have gradually gone
down during the last three years, with only 966 cases recorded in
2009, according to official statistics.
The Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swawalamban Mission, a nodal agency of
Maharashtra government, recorded 1,246 farmer suicides in 2007 (in
Vidarbha); 1,147 suicides in 2008 and 966 in 2009 respectively,
showing a decline in the trend, Mission Director General, S G
Malakolikar told PTI.
Also, among the 1,246 suicides in 2007, only 337 cases were found to
be eligible for compensation as per the definition laid down by
government and decided by a district level committee, he said.
The committee, headed by the District Collector includes the SP, Zila
Parishad CEO, agriculture officers, panchayat samiti and a
representative each of the farmers and an NGO.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/464192_Farmer-suicides-in-Vidarbha-on-a-decline--official-stats
bademiyansubhanallah
STAFF WRITER 9:22 HRS IST
Beijing, Jan 12 (AFP) China has successfully intercepted a missile in
mid-flight, state media said today, in a test of its advanced air
defence capabilities amid tensions over US arms sales to Taiwan.
"China conducted a test on ground-based midcourse missile interception
technology within its territory. The test has achieved the expected
objective," Xinhua news agency said of yesterday's test.
"The test is defensive in nature and is not targeted at any country,"
it added.
The news comes shortly after a US official in Taipei said the Pentagon
had approved the sale of Patriot missile equipment to Taiwan as part
of a package passed by Congress more than a year ago.
Beijing -- which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed
to take the island back, by force if necessary -- has repeatedly
voiced its protest over the sales and urged Washington to cancel the
deal.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/463960_China-says-successfully-tests-missile-defence-system
chhotemianinshallah
On Board Special Aircraft, Jan 12
India's foray into Africa will be powered by the private sector and
would generate local employment instead of import of workforce, Vice
President Mohammad Hamid Ansari said white returning from a three-
nation southern African trip.
"The direction in which the Indian economy is going, the major role
will be played by the private sector, especially in industrial
development," Ansari told reporters Monday night on board his special
aircraft at the end of his seven-day-long official visit to Zambia,
Malawi and Botswana.
"Local employment will be generated... It doesn't make economic sense
to take work force from India because it comes with liabilities," he
said in answer to a query on whether Indian investment will be a
precursor to a larger Indian workforce.
It was a pioneering trip as two out of the three countries, Malawi and
Botswana, had never received an Indian leader on their soil before. In
Zambia, it was a high-level political visit in 20 years, since former
prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's trip in 1986.
In Lusaka, the vice president and his large entourage stayed at Taj
Pamodzi, the first investment by Tata Group in Africa's burgeoning
hospitality sector.
"How many Indian workers were there? When we go for large investments
like this, we don't take workers," he said, referring to the Tata
project.
Similarly, he pointed out that single largest investment by a foreign
company in Zambia, by Vedanta group in copper mines, had only 111
Indians in a total work force of 21,000.
China has become the largest investor in Africa, building major
infrastructure projects in return for access to rich resources. But,
it has also imported a large number of Chinese workers to execute the
infrastructure. India's annual trade with Africa is $39 billion -
while China has three times bigger trade at $116 billion.
In Zambia, India had signed a deal for extending a $50 million line of
credit to Zambia, with a proposal to extend another soft loan of $75
million - even as Ansari and his Zambian counterpart George Kunda
decided to "reinvigorate" relations to reflect "changed times".
The next stop in Malawi, a small narrow country sandwiched between
Zambia and Mozambique, saw a very warm welcome and the signing of
three agreements for foreign office consultations, cooperation in
agriculture and small enterprises.
India has also extended a line of credit of $50 million to Malawi, as
well as $5 million in grants for earthquake relief and projects in the
social sector.
Finally in Botswana, two deals were signed in agriculture and
education, with the African country especially interested in more help
in capacity building from India.
"Substance of the matter is that Botswana - despite a certain kind of
wealth - has severe problems of unemployment, poverty and development.
That is where their whole national planning is focused and this is
where we can give them assistance."
"All-in-all, the impression that I take back from the visit to the
three countries is that there is goodwill and a keenness to enhance
level of relations with us. And get more involved with us in the
development of business and industry," said Ansari.
He noted that India's investment in Africa was a way to access the
continent's resources. "A developing country like ours wants access to
resources be it oil, gas or minerals. Not every mineral but those that
are in short supply... In Malawi, we looked at coal and uranium," he
said.
Similarly, he said: "In Botswana, we have initiated discussions and
will continue with them". India has shown interest in getting access
to Botswana's supply of rough diamonds, but has officially denied that
there were any substantial discussions on this specific issue.
There are a slew of ministerial visits to Africa this month. Commerce
Minister Anand Sharma and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora will both be
travelling to Nigeria. Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi
Tharoor will visit Mozambique for the inauguration of the new
president of African Union in January-end.
The vice president had left Delhi Jan 5 and arrived first in the
Zambian capital, Lusaka. He then left for the smallest country on his
itinerary, Malawi on Jan 7, before the last leg to Botswana on Jan 9.
Ansari was accompaned by his wife Salma Ansari, Minister of State for
Labour and Employment Harish Rawat, Communisty Party of India's D.
Raja, Congress MP from Delhi J.P. Aggarwal and BJP's Anusuya Uikey.
Last updated on Jan 12th, 2010 at 16:52 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a106882.html
chhotemianinshallah
PTI Tuesday, January 12, 2010 16:28 IST
Moscow: India would launch its first manned space flights by sending
two astronauts in an orbit in a Russian spaceship in 2013, according
to reports.
For this, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is to finance
the acquisition of a Soyuz spaceship and train its astronauts by a
Russian commander.
The Russian cosmonaut would lead the two-member crew on an independent
space flight lasting several days, 'Voice of Russia' radio reported.
Quoting deputy chief of Russian space agency (Roskosmos) Vitaly
Davidov the radio said the flight of Indian astronauts would not
involve a mission to the International Space Station.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_india-to-launch-first-manned-spaceship-in-2013_1333895
bademiyansubhanallah
One killed, 2,000 left homeless in slum fire
ANANYA DUTTA
The Hindu Flames from the fire that broke out in a slum in northern
Kolkata on Tuesday. Photo: Sushanta Patronobish
At least one person was killed and nearly 2,000 people were rendered
homeless in a fire, which broke out in a slum, Basanti Colony, in the
north-eastern part of the city and raged for four hours on Tuesday
afternoon razing 450 shanties.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee visited the site
and gave instructions for providing shelter and cooked and dry food
and medicines to the affected families.
The situation was made worse as fire engines and vehicles of emergency
services took a long time to reach the site since they were held up in
several road blockades put up by some political parties and their
allied trade unions since afternoon. While initially only three
engines could reach the spot, later 22 more joined in to control the
fire.
Even as emergency services were held up at the road blockades, the
fire spread to a platform of the nearby Bidhannagar Road station
although it was brought under control quickly. An Eastern Railway
release said 12 pairs of EMU trains had to be cancelled and a long
distance train was controlled short of the Bidhannagar Road Station as
the affected people rushed to the platform to save themselves and
their meagre belongings.
Water shortage in the area further hindered the firemen, who brought
the fire under control about two hours after it was first reported.
Confusion reigned in the area as residents desperately tried to trace
their loved ones. Anxious mothers, unsure of their children’s
whereabouts, jostled through the crowds.
Once the fire was brought under control, some residents rushed to
their ravaged shanties, with the embers still simmering, to locate
family members or salvage remnants of the fire.
The Chief Minister instructed the Police Commissioner to set up
shelters for the homeless on the open grounds of a government housing
complex in the vicinity. He told the Mayor to organise medicine and
cooked and dry food.
Even though arrangements for food, clothes, blankets and tarpaulin
sheets were made for the nearly 450 families rendered homeless, they
will have to brave the cold winter nights.
“The fire was probably caused by an electric short-circuit, which
quickly spread through the neighbourhood as several gas cylinders
exploded in the homes. A breeze also aided the fire to spread
rapidly,” said Gopal Krishna Bhattacharya, Director-General of Fire
Services.
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article79754.ece
bademiyansubhanallah
written in blood
Maulshree Seth
Posted: Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 at 0457 hrs
Lucknow:
In response to his letter written in blood to Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, Dr R N Singh, a private practitioner and convenor of the
encephalitis eradication movement in Gorakhpur, has received a reply
from the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on the direction of
the Prime Minister’s Office.
In the letter, Singh has been informed about three major steps the
Centre plans to take this year to prevent and control the disease and
ensure rehabilitation of the already affected children.
These steps would be in addition to the recent decision by the Centre
to launch a “Catch-up JE Vaccination Drive” in seven districts of
eastern Uttar Pradesh and would include establishing a separate
encephalitis research group under the ICMR, setting up a Department of
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at BRD Medical College,
Gorakhpur, and launch of a special awareness campaign for hygiene and
sanitation in the eastern part of the state.
In the letter dated July 25, 2009, Dr Singh had drawn the Centre’s
attention towards the large number of encephalitis deaths in eastern
UP and requested for implementation of the National Encephalitis
Eradication Program (NEEP).
In the reply to his letter, while Singh has been informed that the
National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme(NVBDCP) is already
undertaking most activities suggested under the NEEP, at the same
time, the Centre has accepted the need to be more vigorous in tackling
the disease, especially in eastern UP.
Singh has been informed that public health measures, including better
sanitation and hygiene, protective clothing and keeping away the
reservoirs of JE from human dwellings, are advocated. He has also been
informed that the Centre has already allocated Rs 5.88 crore to
strengthen Gorakhpur Medical College and at the same time has decided
to undertake special Catch-up JE Vaccination Drive to cover left-out
children. The drive would take place in seven districts of the state —
Deoria, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Sant Kabir Nagar,
Sidharthnagar and Basti.
Acting on the research that has shown that a large number of survivors
of the disease end up having various disabilities, the Centre is
planning to set up a Department of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur.
The government also plans to launch a special campaign for creating
awareness about hygiene and sanitation.
When asked about the letter, Dr Singh said, “I received the letter a
few days ago. I am grateful that my appeal has been taken into
consideration by the PMO Office. However, I have doubts regarding the
utility of a separate encephalitis research group under the ICMR as
many research wings have already tried their hands without any
success. I, thus, stick to to my demand for the NEEP.”
In 2009, over 550 children succumbed to encephalitis virus in eastern
UP.
bademiyansubhanallah
ANI
Posted: Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 at 1111 hrs
New Delhi:
Intense cold wave in north India has left over 300 dead.
The cold wave continues to disrupt normal life across north India, and
the death toll is now reported to be over 326.
Another 38 deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh, taking the death
toll in the state to almost 300.
The fresh casualties were reported from Barabanki and Sitapur (5
each), Gonda and Varanasi (4 each), Etah and Orai (3 each), Lucknow,
Muzaffarnagar, Kheri, Kushinagar, Balia and Chandauli (2 each) and
Azamgarh and Basti (1 each), claimed official sources.
The dense fog has further added to the problems of the people in the
region with Kanpur recording a temperature of 3.7 degree Celsius, the
coldest place in the state, followed by Varani, where the temperarure
was recorded to be 4 degree Celcius.
In Delhi, a foggy morning brought bad news for air travelers, as
several flights were affected.
The Meteorological Department has predicted dense fog in the capital
over the next couple of days.
The cold conditions worsened in Jammu and Ladakh regions with a fall
in mercury level, though there was some improvement in night
temperatures.
The night temperature in Jammu slipped to 2.7 degree Celcius with
Banihal recording a temperature of minus 1.6 degree Celcius, the
coldest place in the state.
In Leh, the night temperature dipped to minus 22 degree Celcius, while
in Kargil it was minus 16.4 degree Celcius. Srinagar recorded a
temperature of minus 3.6 degree Celcius, while the temperature
recorded in Pahalgam was minimum of minus 5.5 degree Celcius.
The possibility of rains and thundershowers has been forecast in
Punjab, Haryana and several parts of Himachal Pradesh in the next few
days.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cold-wave-in-northern-india-claims-over-326-lives/566912/
bademiyansubhanallah
Amrita Chaudhry
Posted: Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 at 0301 hrs
Jagraon:
Health officials collecting water samples in Jagroan.
While the local health officials are battling with the rising number
of diaohorrea cases, the health officials who had been sent from
Ludhiana to collect water samples from the affected areas here, have
described the situation as “worrisome.”
Notable here is that 225 patients reported sick yesterday from four
colonies that fall between Agwad Lopon and Mori Gate. Five new
patients sought medical aid today.
Health official Hemant Kumar, when contacted, said, “We have collected
water samples from five areas today. The Health Department, Chandigarh
has called for a report immediately and it is very clear that the
situation here is very bad. The water being supplied through taps is
not at all fit for human consumption.” Kumar was accompanied by
Inspector Gurdev Singh.
Kumar added, “We visited the tubewell from where the water supply is
coming. The condition of this well is a complete tell-all. The pipes
are broken and lie open. The tank used for chlorination of water is
such a bad condition that instead of cleaning water it must be adding
impurities the water.”
It is learnt that when these health officials reached the pump there
was no one on duty and when the person did reach, he tried to put the
pipes together to show a good picture.
It may be mentioned that it is not for the first time that poor
potable water has been reported from this area. The area councilor,
Ravinder Sabharwal has lodged many complaints in the past about this
issue.
Meanwhile, officials of the Nagar Council claim that tracking fault in
the water supply lines could take days because the pipes are
underground and will need a lot of digging. Water to the affected
areas is currently being supplied through water tankers.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/diahorrea-outbreak-situation-worrisome/566847/0
bademiyansubhanallah
Express News Service
Posted: Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 at 0217 hrs
Kolkata:
Smoke billows out of the Basanti colony, part of which caught fire on
Tuesday
Five fire tenders reached on time, others delayed due to road
blockade
A 28-year-old man died while as many as 450 people were rendered
homeless after a major fire gutted the Basanti colony, adjacent to the
railway tracks behind Ultadanga station, on Tuesday afternoon. The
charred body of Shyamal Sardar, who was reportedly asleep when the
fire broke out, was found from his unit. He is survived by his wife
and four children.
The fire broke out around 12.30 pm and even as five fire tenders were
rushed to the spot, they proved insufficient in dousing the flames
that had engulfed the entire locality in an hour’s time. The response
time of the other fire tenders that were called in, was reportedly
slowed by the roadblock called by the Trinamool Congress and CITU auto
unions in protest against the lack of LPG stations in the city.
Locals, meanwhile, alleged that the Fire department mismanaged the
situation.
“Why is it that the fire engines were only interested in saving the
market? All the fire engines that were called in were initially busy
trying to douse the fire at the B C Roy Hawker Corner Market. By the
time, the engines reached the residential side, they had no water
left. Even though we have a water body in the vicinity, nothing was
done to save our homes,” said Bimal Panja, a resident of the colony
whose house was gutted.
Fire department officials, however, blamed the blockades at various
road crossings for the delay caused in reaching the spot.
“Five engines from the nearby stations initially arrived, but the
other tenders were delayed due to blockades, including the one at
Manicktala. By the time we negotiated traffic and reached the spot,
the fire had spread,” said D P Biswas, Additional DG, Fire and
Emergency services.
The fire was brought under control by 3.45 pm following which local
politicians made a beeline to the spot. Some on the prominent visitors
included BJP’s Rahul Sinha, Subrata Mukherjee, president of West
Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, Mukul Roy, Minister of State,
Shipping, Sujit Bose, MLA, East Belgachhia and Kakali Ghosh Dastidar,
MP, Barasat.
Commissioner of Police Goutam Mohan Chakrabarty, meanwhile, conceded
that fire services were delayed due to blockades at various points in
the city.
“The Fire department worked well to bring the fire under control, but
their arrival was delayed due to blockades at various crossings.
According to available reports, one person died in the fire,” he
said.
Four personnel from the Fire department also fell ill during the fire
and were taken to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, from where
they were discharged after treatment.
CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya came to inspect the spot around 6.45 pm, but
was unable to speak to the victims after a minor clash broke out among
the locals. The clash sparked off after a CPM supporter was allegedly
beaten up by Trinamool supporters.
Those rendered homeless after the fire have been shifted to the PNT
colony grounds after local councillor Rupa Bagchi demanded that they
be given temporary shelter. She assured that those affected by the
fire would be provided with food, water and basic services till their
houses were rebuilt.
“We are yet to know the extent of damage caused and have asked for a
forensic inquiry to ascertain the cause of fire. We need to ensure
that the houses are rebuilt soon. We will assess the damages and soon
hand out compensations to the affected,” said Manab Mukherjee, State
Tourism Minister, who also visited the spot.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/basanti-colony-fire-leaves-450-homeless-1-dead/566802/0
bademiyansubhanallah
IANS
First Published : 13 Jan 2010 11:41:24 AM IST
Last Updated : 13 Jan 2010 11:49:52 AM IST
NEW DELHI: Stating that there had been no change in the India-China
border, Defence Minister A.K. Antony Wednesday dismissed reports of
China grabbing Indian territory and said there was just a difference
in "perception".
"There is no change in the Line of Actual Control," Antony said while
referring to the LAC that serves as a border between the two
countries.
"There is only a difference in perception," he told reporters,
referring to a meeting he held with the army corps commander in Ladakh
Tuesday.
The minister's clarification follows media reports that China was
grabbing land along the Indian border.
Anotony, who visited Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday, had also met Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah and administrative officials of the Ladakh Hill
and Development Council.
"I told them (the army and administrative officials) to study the
situation in detail," he said.
Comments
Antony is absolutely lying. Army reports indicate that more areas of
Ladakh have been seized by Chinese army. This Defence Minister is not
caring for India's interests and rather ensuring only that his seat is
not burnt. He should admit and take immediate action
By Fate
1/13/2010 11:54:00 AM
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 13:10 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 13 (PTI) Naveen, a rickhsaw puller and one among the
approximately 1,50,000 homeless people in Delhi was found dead in a
park by his friends two days ago. His threadbare garments - a thin
cardigan and a torn trouser- failed to protect him from the biting
cold.
Like Naveen, Bhima, a balloon seller, had been found dead on the
roadside a few weeks earlier. He too could not brave the chilly
winter.
Fighting a battle of survival, as the minimum temperatures continue to
remain low, only five to seven per cent of the homeless people in the
capital manage to find refuge in shelters, run either by government or
non-governmental organisations.
The inadequate numbers of night shelters in the capital are leading to
deaths for homeless people, who are there in numbers, claim NGOs.
Sid Harth
Narendra Bisht
review
The Religion Of Capitalism
A book that exhorts India’s planners to see its poor as human beings,
not as ‘factors of production’
Dilip Simeon
The Face You Were Afraid To See: Essays On The Indian Economy
By Amit Bhaduri
Penguin | 208 pages | Rs 250
This small and readable book is a layperson’s introduction to India’s
economic catastrophe. Since many people believe in an ongoing economic
miracle, such views are often dismissed as doomsday talk. But it is
better to be aware of reality than to live in an illusion. The title
is apt—Bhaduri offers us an unsettling vision of what awaits us if we
continue along the current path. He alerts us to the ideological
assumptions underlying the scientific detachment of our growth-
obsessed economists, who operate as metaphysicians of capitalism
rather than as acute observers. That is why they will not address the
fact that “the market as an institution has no accountability except
for the largely make-believe ideology of self-regulation”.
For the past two decades, India has undergone a transformation.
Celebrated by an elitist media, the ongoing economic changes have
acquired political endorsement across a spectrum ranging from the CPI
(M) to the BJP and Congress. In a country where over three-fourths of
the population has a daily income of less than Rs 20; some 61 million
of whose children are stunted by malnutrition (the world’s highest
figure); and over 90 per cent of whose labourers work in conditions of
informality, what sense does it make to adhere to a growth strategy
that systematically punishes the poor, destroys their livelihood and
makes a mockery of democratic citizenship? Bhaduri points to the
reality in Indian agriculture, where a farmer commits suicide every 30
minutes; where vast tracts of tribal-inhabited land in mineral-rich
areas of Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh (protected by Schedule 5
of the Constitution) are being acquired by fair means and foul—mostly
the latter. Intimidation, police shootings and corruption accompany
the transfer of lands for mining and industrial allotments. Forcible
acquisition and dispossession amounts to nothing less than violent
internal colonisation. And that’s official: a review of land reforms
by the rural development ministry describes this as “the biggest grab
of tribal lands after Columbus”.
The strategy so far can be called ‘developmental terrorism’ where
state governments are agents of corporate interests.
Reigning common-sense talks in glib assertions about development and
growth. It stubbornly refuses to consider the question: development
for whom and at whose cost? At what cost to the environment and to the
country’s resources? The strategy adopted thus far, says Bhaduri, can
only be described as developmental terrorism. This is a blatant
assault on Indian democracy by state governments that have become
agents of corporate interests. When the central government fails to
protect India’s weakest citizens, when peaceful struggles and repeated
attempts at legal redress fail, when all political parties fawn on
capitalists as the messiahs of growth, the impression is bound to grow
that the Indian State itself is rapidly on the way to possession by a
mafia. The climate is ripe for extremist ideas to flourish—especially
as vested interests and political leaders have thrown the Constitution
to the winds.
There is a way out, one that steers between the extremes of a
bureaucratic state-controlled economy and untrammelled corporate
rapacity. Medha Patkar joins Bhaduri in the last essay, which deals
with feasible solutions. They do not oppose industrialisation—that is
another glib assertion of an establishment that remains deaf to far-
reaching criticism—rather, they ask for an industrialisation that can
tap “the enormous productive potential of the people”. They call for
growth led by the need for employment rather than corporate profits,
growth with a focus on agriculture, domestic demand of ordinary
people, the fiscal empowerment of panchayats and devolution of
development initiatives—all within the constitutional framework.
It would have been useful if the essays, written over the past few
years, had been revised more extensively. Yet its many repetitions do
not irritate, for these themes bear repetition. Above all, this is a
book about India’s poor as human beings, not as “factors of
production”. That is why it could contain more on people’s movements
that are not insurgent, but continue to resist the new industrial
regime. An excellent introduction to a burning issue, it deserves to
be widely read, and made compulsory reading for bureaucrats, policemen
and politicians. And, lest we forget, economists.
Daily Mail
COMMENTS : Latest First Oldest First
Dec 06, 2009 11:23 PM
17 I meant to say below, "There is no perfect capitalism."
Momeen Rashid
Delhi, India
Dec 06, 2009 10:36 PM
16 AUGUSTUS AAA:
So you want to stay in the never-never land of an impossible pure
capitalism.
In the days when capitalism was very lightly regulated - prior to the
Great Depression - all it led to was not a perfect self-correcting
system, but severe depressions ending in the Great Depression itself
that brought Hitler to power.
So new controls were put in, to prevent that sort of thing happening
again.
The wave of deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s set the stage for the
current dislocations.
There is not perfect capitalism. It will always involve depressions
that wreck countless lives. The only way to reduce the impact of these
is through regulation.
Momeen Rashid
Delhi, India
Dec 04, 2009 08:15 PM
15 >>Pure captalism is like pure communism - it would work if everyone
act as the pure theory presumes they will.
Capitalism presumes people act in self-interest. So it tries to
harness that motivation towards socially constructive activity and
mitigate its destructive potential.
>>In pure communism, no-one is supposed to care about self-interest. Every one puts the collective interest first.
And pink elephants fly....on what demonstrated trait throughout human
history can you presume to build this system to be workable?
>>According to pure capitalism, state regulation is an evil.
As a general rule, yes. But particulars matters....like prevention of
monopolies. Their baleful impact is controlled by and the theory
requires state intervention to breakup monopolies.
>>In the real world, without very tough regulation banks and the stock market create speculative bubbles that eventually expode with devaststing consequences for the ordinary guy.
Rent-seeking masquerading as regulation caused the speculative
bubbles...the bursting of which are needed to discipline true and faux
capitalists.
Augustus AAA
Pune, India
Dec 04, 2009 04:29 PM
14 Kudos to scholars like Amit Bhaduri and activists such as Medha
Patkar for showing us the ugly reality of our lives. This is part of
the phenomena spread across the world--Capitalism being in action for
over two centuries and "Socialist" experimentations for close to nine
decades.Yes, India did witness "Economic Growth" in the post-
Independece period. But did we achieve "Economic development" to the
same proportion? Doutful.This is the source of injustice and socio-
economic inequality leading to continued poverty and human
degradation. Insincerity of purpose on the part of the
rulers,collassal bureacratic and political corruption ,painfully slow
spread of literacy and infrastructure in the post -Indepence period
have been some of the root causes of the malfunctioning of Indian
economy and society. In particular,relative neglect in the spread of
rural health and elementary education facilities, half-hearted
implementation of land reforms and continued dominance of rural
oligarchies in the politico-social lives of people during the last six
decades are to be blamed for India's continued socio-political mess.
G. Niranjan Rao
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Dec 04, 2009 04:21 AM
13 Augustus AAA:
You are on your pure-capitalism hobby horse again. It is as foolish an
animal as your primitive Churchian fanaticism.
Pure captalism is like pure communism - it would work if everyone act
as the pure theory presumes they will. But in the real world there is
no such animal, and so the pure theory fails.
In pure communism, no-one is supposed to care about self-interest.
Every one puts the collective interest first. The economy booms
because everyone works their guts out for the collective.
In practice, unless brutally coerced by the atate, almost everyone
does as little work as they can get away with. Result: fall of the
Soviet Union.
According to pure capitalism, state regulation is an evil. Let market
forces be unleashed and we all gain a super economic machine.
In the real world, without very tough regulation banks and the stock
market create speculative bubbles that eventually expode with
devaststing consequences for the ordinary guy. Result: fall of the US
version of ultra-capitalism.
Momeen Rashid
Delhi, India
Dec 03, 2009 06:20 AM
12 India's already tried Bhaduri's favored socialist system for over
fifty years, under the useless Congress- it created only massive
poverty and deprivation without any of the required social
infrastructure- but just few filthy-rich folks.
West Bengal's Communist govt went even further at trying Bhaduri's
kind of 'workers paradise'. Yessirree, with workers in charge of all
production, eating the bread of their own sweat, WB went from being
probably the most industrialized state, to the poverty-stricken,
unindustrialized cesspool of filth and squalor that it is presently.
Instead of everyone being uniformly poor and destitute, at least under
the new, liberalized regime, quite a few folks have been lifted out of
poverty and even become prosperous- affluent even. That's not such a
bad thing, is it?
Bodh
Springfield, United States
Dec 02, 2009 10:42 PM
11 >>The Dubai government, which will have to bear the orchestrated
sullying of its name by bondholders, told them to go pound sand.
http://www.businessi...rs-a-suckers-2009-12
Here comes the orchestrated sullying...
"You have to give Sheikh Mohammad Al-Maktoum credit. After borrowing
massively from the rest of the world, and then blowing all that cash
on ridiculous investments, he's not afraid to tell the international
investing community the truth about how dumb they were.
The Independent: The ruler of Dubai hit out at international investors
yesterday as his government's impecunious investment vehicle revealed
plans to restructure $26bn of its debts. Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum
said: 'They do not understand anything.'
Basically, everyone was a bunch of suckers."
I wouldn't call them suckers as much as who understanding of risk is
only conceptual...and not the reality of holding the bag if an
investment were to go bad.
Augustus AAA
Pune, India
Dec 02, 2009 06:56 PM
10 thus sayeth a normal A**hole
Augustus AAA
Pune, India
Dec 02, 2009 06:24 PM
9 A(bominable)AbnormalA(**hole)
Desh Premee
Delhi, India
Dec 02, 2009 09:01 AM
8 hell of a job "avoiding"!
a hole in the ground of 3 cm deep and 1 cm wide is enough for you to
"prem" the "desh"
If you weren't a moron, you'd manage to post it on a relevant thread
with its all important speculation on my nom de plume!
dumbass chaddis...always sending boys to do a man's job!
Augustus AAA
Pune, India
Dec 02, 2009 08:23 AM
7 A(bsolutely)A(voidable)A(**hole)
Desh Premee
Delhi, India
Dec 02, 2009 03:31 AM
6 Though their understanding of capitalism isn't even remotely
analytical, the Arabs are the most natural capitalists with almost an
instinctual feel for capitalism. Case in point, Dubai World.
For those just catching up, Dubai World is a government sponsored
enterprise but WITHOUT a government guarantee. When hard times fell on
Dubai World and possibility of defaulting on its debt, the hard-boiled
capitalists (with their famed animal spirits) that bought Dubai World
bonds began to expect openly for Dubai government step in and pay
their bonds. They did it with a curious mixture of wimpy whining and
comical bravado (no one will ever lend Dubai money blah blah).
The Dubai government, which will have to bear the orchestrated
sullying of its name by bondholders, told them to go pound sand.
Dubai's reaction is more true to the spirit of
capitalism....privatized profits and privatized losses. However, the
perceived champion of Capitalism, the U.S.--with its leftists on a
political leash--managed to privatize profits and socialize losses. No
wonder the Wall Street types lavish their wealth on Obama.
The leftists misunderstand capitalism and its relationship to
redistributive policies as static. It isn't. Instead, the relationship
is very direct and dynamic. If redistribution were the intent, the
size of the pie to be redistributed (which is almost always baked by
the capitalists) WILL shrink. If growth of the pie were the intent,
only then redistributive policies become possible to the extent
policies aren't confiscatory.
Augustus AAA
Pune, India
Dec 01, 2009 09:41 PM
5 India made a departure from its left leaning policies to the right
since 1990s and so far it has benefitted from the income growth.
IUt's true that in our quest for higher GDP growth we ignored the
income distribution to the huge population of poor Indians. This also
explains why in terms of human development index India's relative
performance is pathetic, even though in terms of GDP and GDP growth it
is among the top ten nations.
Unfortunately, we have yet to discover the magical balance in our
policies and implementation. It's easy for Bhaduri and other leftists
to vent out their frustrations at the capitalist India, although they
forget that lots of their bright ideas have benn tried in the previous
four decades after independence without any improvement. I remember
the old rhetoric in past five year plan documents e.g. equitable
distribution, elimination of concentration of wealth etc. etc. But we
were poor even then and there was hardly any wealth creation. Today at
least a 200 million middle class got the lion's share of income. In
those days it was only the even distribution of poverty. More
importantly, with more wealth generating more tax collections, the
government has a much more money in its coffers to run targetted
social programs like the mid-day meal, bharat nirman, national rural
employment generation scheme etc.
Capitalism's main constraint is its inability to distribute income,
for free market with more freedom creates higher income disparties.
That's where the socialistic schemes come in to reign in unbridled
capitalism and the social safety net, pension and poverty alleviation
schemes are all the socialistic policies to ensure that those in the
bootom rung do not lose the benefits of higher wealth creation.
I strongly believe that both Indian leftists and rightists hold their
prejudices and ideological positions without thinking little how to
improve the mechanism to distribute entitlements intended for the
weaker sections of the society.
The leftist policies created corrupt government machinery and the
license Raj, while the rightists policies created billionaires and
enriched a growing middle class without solving the problems of
distribution.
India needs both capitalism for wealth creation and the social
programs for wealth distribution, but now it needs a complete overhaul
of the government machinery through an administrative reform so that
social programs are delivered efficiently to the poverty stricken
masses. Bhaduri and others will only glance over this aspect - because
they want to win an ideological war for their long held beliefs in the
policy front alone.
Who will bell the cat?
DC
NEW YORK, United States
Nov 30, 2009 02:32 AM
4 >>I am sorry to inform you, but you do need a primer on the Civil
War,
always willing to learn something from those who know more (or only
think they know more.)
>>it was the Confederacy's contention that bringing an end to Slavery was violating the Property rights of the Slave owners, because Slaves were not humans/citizens rather property.
The Southerners ARGUED slaves weren't humans but property for purposes
of civil rights. HOWEVER, when they ACTED, they insisted on counting
all "other persons" (a/k/a slaves) as full persons to boost their
numbers (and political power) in the Congress while drafting their
Constitution. It was the North that said, if the slaves aren't humans,
their numbers can't be counted towards South's representation in their
Congress. The compromise was eventually 3/5th of a person. So much for
the Southerners' argument!
This is a very similar type of cognitive dissonance that US
Southerners in the past and Indian Brahmins in the past and present
engage in.
None of it still undoes the historical fact that Lincoln argued that
slavery constituted one man eating the bread of another man's
sweat...which ought to be the starting point of our rethinking of
India and capitalism.
When a man's labor is stolen willy nilly (as it happens in India with
clockwork regularity), his effort at work will be neither very hard
nor very creative.
Feel free to enlighten me with any other brilliant insights you might
have....at any time.
Augustus AAA
Pune, India
Nov 29, 2009 10:40 PM
3 Augustus, I am sorry to inform you, but you do need a primer on the
Civil War, it was the Confederacy's contention that bringing an end to
Slavery was violating the Property rights of the Slave owners, because
Slaves were not humans/citizens rather property.
http://supreme.justia.com/us/60/393/case.html
allspamme
atalanta, United States
Nov 29, 2009 03:19 AM
2 *The most significant property right is the right to enjoy the sweat
of one's brow
The most significant property right is the right to enjoy the fruits
of the sweat of one's brow.
Augustus AAA
Pune, India
Nov 29, 2009 03:18 AM
1 Just as "development" and "growth" are glib references one set of
cognoscenti babbles on about, there's an another set equally glib with
"employment rather than corporate profits," "fiscal empowerment," and
"development initiatives.
The baseline assumption in capitalism (something the West doesn't have
to think about but we have to is) clear delineation and protection of
property rights. As soon as that phrase is mentioned, leftists go into
convulsive vomiting posture because they have a limited idea of what
the phrase means....land and asset owning classes using the power of
state to protect their property from "justice" and "equality."
In reality, the biggest empowerment of poor people IS property rights.
The most significant property right is the right to enjoy the sweat of
one's brow. And those rights are trampled upon by leftists who are
well-meaning but have only a stunted understanding of property
rights.
In fact, Lincoln used the property rights argument AGAINST slavery. He
said, the notion of one man (master) eating the bread of another man's
sweat (slave) was repugnant to basic foundation of American founding.
It turns out to be bad for economic growth as well. While India
doesn't have formal slavery, it does have two kinds of informal
slavery: indenture servitude/bond labor AND a political and economic
system that doesn't protect laborers' sweat equity as sacred.
Therefore, capitalism without property rights is like a car without
tires.
Augustus AAA
Pune, India
http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?263003
chhotemianinshallah
India continues to fumble on China
Sanjog Maheshwari
The recent news that China has grabbed a huge chunk of Indian
territory in the Ladakh region over the years is truly alarming. While
the ways of the Dragon remain as inscrutable as before, India’s policy
on China is still incoherent. The nimbleness New Delhi displays in
bending over backwards in all its dealings with Beijing is
humiliating. Needless to say this makes it very easy for the Chinese
to get away with such shenanigans as issuing dubious stapled visas to
the residents of Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, thereby,
treating the States as ‘disputed’.
It is absolutely baffling that Indian authorities have never been able
to strongly protest against China’s repeated warnings against top
Indian leaders visiting Arunachal Pradesh. Neither has New Delhi been
able to do anything about the periodic incursions that the Chinese
Army undertakes into Indian territory.
In the Tibet Autonomous Region, Beijing is engaged in major military
and defence build-up activities such as construction of roads,
bridges, ultra-modern airfields, intelligence and surveillance
outposts, etc, accompanied with large-scale deployment of PLA troops,
fighter aircraft, tanks and missiles. The Chinese have reportedly also
constructed roads connecting several border outposts along the Line of
Actual Control with the Chinese mainland, something that will greatly
reduce troop deployment time.
The ambitious Chinese project of building a huge dam to tap the waters
of the Brahmaputra near the river’s source is also reported to be
nearing completion. With this done it will become possible for China
to parch out the fertile Brahmaputra plains on our side to the point
that it will become difficult to grow even a single blade of grass. As
the list of hostile Chinese activities gets longer, the alarm bells
are ringing loud and clear. But is anyone listening in New Delhi?
At the Copenhagen climate change summit, China was able to derive
maximum mileage for itself, mostly at our expense.
As the cat plays with the mouse before killing it, in one recent
incident the Chinese authorities have arrested and jailed 21 Indian
businessmen during police raids in the southern Chinese city of
Shenzhen. Beijing claims that they are diamond smugglers, a claim that
appears to be extremely dubious. But it knows that India is too weak
to protest.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/229181/India-continues-to-fumble-on-China.html
bademiyansubhanallah
Josy Joseph / DNA
Thursday, January 14, 2010 0:11 IST
New Delhi: Fifty percent Indian military equipment is ‘obsolete’,
according to a study by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the
consultancy firm KPMG.
The report comes a few months after the army admitted to a Parliament
standing committee that it had just over 50% of the required
capability.
The CII-KPMG report, ‘Opportunities in the Indian Defence Sector: An
Overview’ says India is set to undertake one of the largest
procurement cycles in the world in the light of the situation.
“The current profile of the equipment held highlights the need for
modernisation with ‘obsolete’ equipment currently accounting for 50%
equipment,” says the report. According to the required equipment
profile of the government, at any given point of time, only 30%
equipment should be ‘obsolete’.
In an ideal situation, the ministry of defence contends, 30% equipment
should be “state-of-the-art”, 40% “mature” and only 30% “obsolete”.
The reality, says the report, is that only 15% equipment is “state-of-
the-art”, 35% “mature” and 50% “obsolete”.
“During the last decade, the Indian defence industry has been in the
process of undertaking one of the largest procurement cycles in the
world. The current cycle, which includes the acquisitions drafted
under the long-term integrated perspective plan (LTIPP), is expected
to include procurements worth $100 billion by 2022,” the report says.
The report has identified three areas where industry is “seeking
further government input” —the procurement process, the need for a
defence industrial strategy for India and tax and regulatory
incentives.
CII representatives said the government should take steps to improve
visibility of the government’s defence order book, increase industry’s
input and feedback into the process, improve predictably and
flexibility of the procurement process and reduce bidders’ costs.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_50pct-indian-arms-obsolete-report_1334536
Sid Harth
14 Jan 2010, 1917 hrs IST, IANS
NEW DELHI: Nearly two months after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's
visit to Washington, India on Thursday again pressed the US for
removal of export controls on high technology and dual-use items to
infuse more confidence into bilateral ties.
"We have been told by the US administration that they are engaged in
efforts to bring significant reform to their export controls so as to
free up opportunities for defence cooperation with India," Foreign
Secretary Nirupama Rao said in a lecture titled 'The United States and
India: Chartering the Future Course'.
"We look forward to these outcomes," Rao said.
She was speaking at the India Initiative of the Centre for a New
American Security and the ASPEN Institute India that was also attended
by Nicholas Burns, a senior state department official who served a key
negotiator for the India-US civil nuclear deal.
"In our view, the removal of export controls on the supply of high
technology and dual use items would inspire an even greater degree of
confidence in our bilateral relationship and understanding," Rao
stressed.
Rao contended that "an expanded, multi-faceted relationship between
India and the US would naturally entail a focus on military
cooperation including joint visits and exercises, cooperation in the
protection of sea lanes and the control of piracy.
During his talks with US President Barack Obama in Washington Nov 24,
Manmohan Singh had taken up the issue of loosening US export controls
that continue to inhibit the use of certain high-technology and dual-
use items to India despite India having inked a landmark nuclear deal
with the US.
bademiyansubhanallah
Javed M Ansari & Anil Anand / DNA
Friday, January 15, 2010 0:10 IST
New Delhi: Former foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is being tipped
to take over as the new national security advisor after incumbent MK
Narayanan’s likely appointment as governor of a leading state.
The list of hopefuls, to be finalised in the next few days, would
include the names of former government officials and senior political
leaders like ex-ministers Shivraj Patil and Santosh Mohan Deb. The
Congress core committee will meet on Friday to vet the list.
Apart from Menon, the other name which figured prominently was that of
former ambassador to the United States Ronen Sen. He is, however,
reported to have politely declined the offer. Sen, who had ‘famously’
called Indian MPs opposing the nuclear deal ‘headless chicken’ in
2007, was also offered a gubernatorial assignment which he declined,
stating that he had already served the government in various
capacities for long.
Menon’s name gained favour as a sign of appreciation from the UPA
leadership for having shouldered the blame for the Sharm-el-Sheikh
diplomatic fiasco. Menon was also at the helm of affairs as foreign
secretary when the Indo-US nuclear deal was navigated through choppy
waters.
The UPA leadership has also decided to reward some of its senior
leaders, mostly from the Congress, such as former home minister
Shivraj Patil, whose Rajya Sabha term is about to end, and former
Union minister Santosh Mohan Deb, who lost the Lok Sabha election,
with gubernatorial positions.
Earlier, Mohsina Kidwai was sounded out but she declined the offer on
the grounds that she wanted to remain in active politics. Her name had
come up after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee made it known
that she was in favour of a member of the minority community as
governor of West Bengal.
Appointment of governors to West Bengal and Punjab & Haryana remains a
contentious issue for different reasons. Cabinet ministers Ambika
Sonia and Pawan Bansal, an MP from Chandigarh, had reportedly met
prime minister Manmohan Singh and requested him to appoint a senior
politician as governor of Punjab & Haryana in view of the controversy
generated by existing governor SF Rodrigues’s alleged involvement in a
land scandal.
Banerjee’s flip-flop attitude and the seriousness of the law and order
situation in West Bengal has made the governor’s appointment to the
state a tricky issue for the centre.
While Narayanan’s name is being mentioned in this context, Banerjee
had reportedly tossed different names during the past few days with
noted human right activist Rajendra Sachar being the latest in the
list, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the term of Tamil Nadu governor SS Barnala is expiring
shortly, while three other governors - Gopal Gandhi (West Bengal),
Syed Sibte Razi (Assam) and SS Sidhu (Goa) -- have already finished
their term.
The centre is also on the look out for a governor for Gujarat as
Maharashtra governor SC Jamir is holding temporary charge of the
state.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_shiv-shankar-menon-likely-to-become-nsa_1334949
bademiyansubhanallah
A Test Ahead for India's Defiant Optimism
By AKASH KAPUR
Published: January 14, 2010
PONDICHERRY, INDIA — The last couple of months have seen a slew of
retrospective articles and issues in the Indian media. The end of a
decade is an occasion for looking back. But this, my first column in
the new year, is also an occasion for looking forward.
As we enter the second decade of the millennium, I feel a tremendous
sense of anticipation in the nation: Is this the decade when India
will finally achieve its potential?
The past 10 years have been marked by substantial excitement — and
more than a little hype — over the nation’s possibilities. We have
been told that India is on the path to “economic superpowerhood,” and
that we are on the cusp of an “Indian century.” The media have
jubilantly reported on the country’s rising stock market, and on its
growing population of billionaires (the world’s third largest now,
according to Forbes magazine).
All this is heady stuff, especially for a nation that was for so long
synonymous with poverty and underdevelopment. But over the next 10
years, rhetoric will meet reality. The question is whether rhetoric
will bump up against reality, or whether reality will finally match
the rhetoric.
For me, the anticipation — and the hype — of the preceding decade
crystallized during the nation’s 2004 general election, and in
particular in the then-governing Bharatiya Janata Party’s “India
Shining” campaign. That campaign, involving $20 million of print and
television advertising, sought to capitalize on national pride in a
thriving economy. It projected the vision of an India at the apogee of
world power, poised to overtake Europe and America.
The campaign was a failure. Contrary to pre-election polls, the B.J.P.
lost the election. In the aftermath, analysts agreed that the “India
Shining” tag line had backfired. Many voters — especially rural voters
— bristled at what they perceived as urban hubris. For them, as for
the millions of Indians left untouched by rising foreign capital
inflows and accelerating growth rates, the campaign was an insult.
I had an early inkling of the B.J.P.’s impending loss when, reporting
an article a few days before the end of voting, I visited the village
of Chetichavady, a farming community deep in the south Indian
countryside. Outside a tea shop, at the edge of fields flooded by
unseasonable rains, a man asked me what proved to be a portentous
question. “The government says India’s shining,” he said. “Do we look
like we’re shining here?”
And yet, for all its shortcomings, the B.J.P.’s campaign wasn’t
entirely mistaken. I had returned to India shortly before the
elections, after a decade abroad, and in my travels I discovered a
country that was in many respects shining. In the booming
metropolises, in the small towns that were repositories of middle-
class ambition and even in rural India, where I lived, I found a new
confidence, a sense of optimism about India and its place in the
world.
Gurcharan Das, an author and businessman, wrote that, in the wake of
India’s market reforms, initiated in the 1990s, the nation underwent a
second round of decolonization. This time, the victory was mental, a
psychological liberation from the shackles of a chronically
underperforming economy and the resulting low self-esteem. By the time
I returned, it wasn’t just India’s economy that was growing. The
country’s spirits — its self-confidence, its faith in itself and its
future — were soaring, too.
It was apparent even then, however, that for all the nation’s
progress, it faced very real difficulties. Poverty was still rampant,
and governance in large swaths of the country was abysmal, a morass of
inefficiency and abuse and corruption.
The specter of Naxalism, a hard-line Maoist revolutionary movement
that had for some time languished, was rearing its head on the
national stage, fueled by resentment and alienation on the part of
those excluded from the nation’s new prosperity. In the years since,
the Naxal movement has spread throughout northern and central India,
leading Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently to declare it the
“single biggest internal security challenge” facing the nation.
In retrospect, it seems clear that the B.J.P.’s triumphant campaign
was not so much wrong as premature. It energetically — and correctly —
celebrated the nation’s progress, but it was marked by an equally
energetic refusal to acknowledge all the work that remained undone.
That sense of willed optimism, of a blinkered enthusiasm that shuts
out all contrary evidence, has for me been the defining mood of the
last 10 years. Nielsen, a market research firm, conducts regular
surveys on global consumer confidence. Year after year, in good times
and bad, India tops or comes very near the top of the list. Even
amidst the depths of the economic slowdown last year, when the stock
market had lost more than half its value and the papers were filled
with stories about layoffs, the nation remained defiantly ebullient.
Arguably, this ebullience helped India ride out the economic crisis.
But going forward, I can’t help feeling somewhat ambivalent about the
nation’s state of mind — hopeful, because the relentless optimism does
provide a font of confidence and ambition that can drive progress, but
at the same time skeptical and even concerned, because it also raises
expectations to unrealistic levels. Most dangerously, the self-
congratulatory celebrations of what is essentially an urban elite risk
exacerbating social divisions and resentments.
India has always been a country of contrasts, but there is something
particularly striking about the gulf these days between those who have
benefited from the fruits of economic reform and those left out. At
times, it has felt like the past decade was one big party — with only
half the nation invited.
Sometime over the next 10 years, I suspect within the next five, we
will know whether India can live up to its own expectations — whether
achievements will match words, and whether the nation’s self-
confidence will prove prophetic or mere bravado. Either way, as we
move from rhetoric to reality, the coming decade promises to be a lot
more complicated than the one that has just passed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/world/asia/15iht-letter.html?pagewanted=all
chhotemianinshallah
Subodh Ghildiyal & Nitin Sethi, TNN,
15 January 2010, 03:15am IST
NEW DELHI: The quest for an accurate headcount of the poor has turned
serious with the Centre planning a pilot project to test the
methodology of BPL survey besides asking states to report local
concerns which need to be factored in the final questionnaire. The
pilot project will be supervised by an expert group.
With states perennially at odds with the Centre over poverty figures,
claiming that they are underreported, there is a sense of urgency to
restore the legitimacy of BPL numbers so that the upcoming Food
Security Act is not mired in similar disputes. A challenge to
Congress’s flagship programme may dent the political dividends it
hopes to garner.
“We should have a BPL census which the states respect,” a top official
said.
The Centre has been pushed on the back foot by the Tendulkar committee
report which has estimated poverty figures at 37.2%. While being much
higher than the 27% estimated by Centre, Tendulkar’s figure is closer
to what the states have been claiming.
The key flaw in the survey exercise is that rigid uniformity ignores
local concerns which vary from state to state. It is felt the
questions have to be relevant for socially diverse regions with
extremely backward and tribal populations while there is an issue of
state-specific minorities against nationally designated ones.
Mihir Shah, member of Planning Commission in charge of rural
development, told TOI, “We are insistent on a pilot project to be
overseen by an expert committee and also ask states to give their
concerns.”
The pilot project, if taken up, will test the methodology suggested by
N C Saxena committee report. The villain of the piece is Centre’s
estimation of poverty based on extrapolating sample survey and the BPL
census which is based on a door-to-door identification. The two give
divergent results with the Centre sticking with the statistical
estimates. Saxena has suggested a method to reconcile the two
exercises.
The pilot study will test out Saxena’s methodology and suggest
finetuning. The addition of state-related issues to the questionnaires
will further polish the method. Poverty figures are important as a
large number of welfare schemes target the BPL — Indira Awas Yojana,
old-age pension, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana. An increase in
figures will lead to a spike in Centre’s expenses. States have alleged
that poverty numbers were pared down to save costs.The biggest
attraction for BPL may come if UPA promulgates the Food Security Act.
Congress poll promise of 25 kg foodgrain at Rs 3/kg may burn a big
hole in the Centre’s pocket if BPL figures turn out to be as high as
40%.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/How-many-poor-does-India-have/articleshow/5446825.cms
chhotemianinshallah
TNN, 15 January 2010, 04:06am IST
NEW DELHI: The India-France deal for civil nuclear cooperation came
into force on Thursday with foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and French
ambassador Jerome Bonnafont exchanging the instruments of ratification
of the agreement which was signed by the two countries on September
30, 2008.
The agreement will allow France and India to develop a multiform civil
nuclear cooperation covering a wide range of activities including
nuclear power projects, R&D, nuclear safety, education and training.
The French embassy said in a statement that the coming into force of
the agreement would give a new impetus to the Indo-French partnership
and would contribute to "further strengthening the deep ties of
friendship and long-standing cooperation between the two countries".
The Indo-French nuclear agreement allows for reprocessing of spent
nuclear fuel from French atomic reactors under safeguards, and gives
an assurance of lifetime supply of nuclear fuel for these reactors. It
does not bar the transfer of enrichment and reprocessing
technologies.
The India-France nuclear pact has formally become operational even as
New Delhi and Washington have still not been able to finalise their
nuclear deal because of differences over reprocessing.
In accordance with the provisions of the agreement, it becomes
effective from the date of exchange of instruments of ratification.
Days after the Nuclear Suppliers Group re-opened the doors of civil
nuclear commerce for India on September 6, 2008, after a 34-year
hiatus, France became the first country to ink a civil nuclear accord
with India.
The French parliament unanimously approved the accord in November last
year, paving the way for participation of French companies in India's
nuclear energy sector. France-based nuclear conglomerate Areva has
been allocated the nuclear project site at Jaitapur, in Maharashtra,
to construct two nuclear power plants initially. Each of the two
plants will have a capacity of 1,600 mw.
India has signed civil nuclear pacts with seven countries, including
the US, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Argentina and Mongolia.
bademiyansubhanallah
Sujay Mehdudia
The whole grid went down at 3.02 a.m. after a snag hit transmission
lines; power came down to zero at sub-stations
— Photos: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar, PTI & AP
CLARITY ECLIPSED: All modes of transport took a beating in Delhi as
fog reduced visibility on Saturday. If the train is barely visible at
the Patel Nagar station, the planes were enveloped by a thick fog at
the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Nor was the highway any
better on the outskirts of Amritsar on Saturday.
NEW DELHI: The season’s first thick fog on Saturday hit major
electricity transmission lines, resulting in the tripping of the
entire northern grid leading to blackout and disruption of generation
from thermal and hydro plants for nearly four to six hours in Punjab
and Haryana, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the
union territory of Chandigarh and Delhi.
From trains to planes, everything was hit by a technical problem in
the 220 kV and 440 kV transmission lines. There was a loss of 5,500 MW
of electricity at the Ropar, Bhatinda, Yamuna Nagar and Panipat power
stations, wired to the northern grid.
Officials of the Power Grid Corporation of India said the entire
northern grid went down at 3.02 a.m. after a snag choked the
transmission lines, reducing power to zero at many sub-stations.
“There were disruptions in the 220 KV transmission line because of the
fog over Punjab. The PGCIL cleaned the transmission lines well in
advance, but this could not prevent disruption of supply,” a senior
official said. Many parts of Delhi and Haryana were hit by the power
failure early morning. Many localities in and around the National
Capital Region were plunged into darkness.
Several power stations in Himachal Pradesh stopped generation owing to
the tripping of the grid. But they resumed generation after an hour.
However, with PGCIL and Electricity Boards getting into action, power
was partially restored by 7:30 a.m. in some parts of Punjab and
Kashmir, with the supply from the Jalandhar, Nathpa-Jhakhri and Uri
sub-stations having been diverted to these States.
Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 03, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version
http://www.thehindu.com/2010/01/03/stories/2010010360500900.htm
Sid Harth
STAFF WRITER 19:59 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) After five years stint as National Security
Adviser, M K Narayanan is likely to be appointed a state Governor in
the next few days when several Raj Bhavans vacancies will be filled.
High placed sources said that Narayanan, 75, is likely to be made
Governor of a key state most probably West Bengal, where Gopal Krishna
Gandhi demitted office recently after completing his tenure.
Ahead of the Congress Core group meeting, Congress President Sonia
Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a separate meeting and is
understood to have discussed names to fill the vacant slots in Raj
Bhavans in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.
The names of former foreign secretaries like Shyam Saran and Shiv
Shanker Menon are doing the rounds for the post of NSA, if Narayanan,
who was appointed as NSA on January 2005, becomes a Governor.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/470399_Narayanan-may-be-on-way-out-as-NSA
bademiyansubhanallah
2010-01-15 20:40:00
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Friday expressed confidence
that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will continue to play a historic
role in the evolution of country's economy as India moves towards a
growth path of 9-10 percent per annum.
Addressing a gathering after releasing the book titled 'Perspectives
on Central Banking - Governors Speak, Prime Minister Singh said:
"Reserve Bank will continue to play a historic role in the evolution
of Indian economy as India moves forward towards a growth path of 9-10
percent per annum."
This is "a growth path which commits the country to a path of
reasonable price stability, a growth path which reasonably commits our
country to our ancient inclusion that the credit and the financial
system will function more and more paying attention to the needs of
the poorer section of our community," he added.
The Reserve Bank of India, which was started in 1935, is celebrating
its Platinum Jubilee.
Singh who was RBI Governor from 1982-85 said this 75 year long journey
has been one of momentous developments, but the basic objectives of
economic policy have remained roughly the same, growth with stability
and social justice.
"All these areas, the Reserve Bank has played a very important role
and the fact that this country has come a long way from the low rates
of growth until the 70s, moving up to the 80s and then from the 90s a
march on the forward route to sustained and equitable development," he
said.
"The Reserve Bank played a very important role in drawing the
attention of our country to make our credit system more sensitive to
the needs of our farmers and our rural community," Singh added.
Recalling that the RBI was instrumental in setting up a whole lot of
institutions and the diversified financial system, Dr Singh said "The
more inclusive financial system that we now have owes a great deal to
the innovative ideas emanating from this great national institution
that the Reserve Bank is."
Singh expressed confidence that the RBI's next 75 years will be still
more productive, still more innovative in the long history of India.
(ANI)
http://sify.com/news/RBI-plays-key-role-for-9-10-percent-growth-P-M-news-kbpuEebcagj.html
bademiyansubhanallah
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_shiv-shankar-menon-likely-to-become-nsa_1334949
...and I am Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
Written by By (Late) Former President KR Narayanan
Monday, 01 January 2001
Empowerment has meaning and significance only when the dispossessed
and the disinherited have access to the basic necessities of life and
are given opportunities to play their rightful role as the citizens of
our country.
The real empowerment of India began with the struggle for our
independence, at the centre of which remained ordinary people. Mahatma
Gandhi harnessed their power to fight against the mighty British
Empire. It was a remarkable example of empowerment of a disempowered
people in a society riddled with social injustice and religious
discrimination.
It is difficult to empower people unless we address the issues
concerning equality and equality of opportunities for the vast masses
of people who have to struggle for their daily existence. Empowerment
thus means uplifting the unprivileged and making them partners and
beneficiaries of nation building activities.
Empowerment means improving the status of women and treating
minorities with care and concern. Therefore any attempt to empower
people must begin from below. The heroic struggle of Mahatma Gandhi,
Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru bring to us the examples of
landmark initiatives which aimed at empowering the people of India.
Harking back to the freedom struggle we find that people under
foreign rule had no means of opposing their exploitation and demanding
independence and democracy for their development. A completely
subjugated and disempowered people suddenly found within themselves
immense strength to confront the majesty and might of the British
Empire.
How did that happen? We all know that by removing fear from the minds
of people and infusing among them moral strength and authority,
Mahatma Gandhi transformed their outlook and wielded them as a
powerful weapon in the non-violent struggle for independence. In that
historical context, empowerment had a connotation which derived
legitimacy from the moral ethos of our society.
After almost six decades of our independence, we have made tremendous
material progress and consolidated our democracy. The whole of India
and, in fact, large sections of the population are now empowered to
take India forward. It has now been acknowledged by the world that
India is fast emerging as a major economic power determining the
course of human history in a manner which gives confidence that we
will get back our rightful place in the comity of nations.
The talk of empowerment makes us feel confident about our future. But
we feel disheartened to see the decline of standard of behaviour in
our public life. Empowerment of India thus would mean to restore the
moral dimension and values to our public life.
Without morality and values, the empowered India would be devoid of
depth and content. Today when the whole world exclaims of India’s
ability in diverse fields and hails its emergence as a major power in
the economic and scientific arena, we need to introspect and ask
ourselves if we have lived up to the ideals bequeathed to us by our
freedom fighters and the founding fathers of our Constitution.
An empowered India bereft of the respect for women, values of
civilised existence and morality will collapse in the face of the
disaffection and discontent of those who have suffered for centuries.
Day in and day out we take pride in claiming that India has a 5000-
year-old civilisation. But the way the Dalits and those suppressed are
being treated by the people who wield power and authority speaks
volumes for the degradation of our moral structure and civilized
standards.
Dr BR Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Constitution, had said
political equality devoid of economic and social equality would bring
about contradictions in our democratic set-up which if not rectified
will lead to its doom.
In the dark cloud of inequality and social injustice the silver
lining represented by the assertion of the hitherto suppressed and
exploited sections for their rights inspire confidence for their
future empowerment. Their struggle for empowerment represents
empowerment of India.
As the struggle gains momentum and gets accentuated, there is bound
to be reluctance and resistance on the part of the high and mighty to
accept their upward rise. The killing of Dalits, their exploitation
and the brutality they face is a negation of the empowered India. An
empowered India would obviously believe in Sarvodaya which Mahatma
Gandhi so passionately advocated and dedicated his life to realise it
in practice.
In the age of liberalisation and globalisation and in the age of
market-driven development, we need to be mindful of the basic
existence of the ordinary people who are constantly facing the
challenges to safeguard their very survival.
While celebrating the achievements of our Independence for the last
60 years we must question ourselves to find answers for the
empowerment of the people who are in the margins of society.
Any attempt in that direction is an attempt not only for the
empowerment of India but also enlightenment of those people who are in
important position determining the destiny of this country.
If the poor and underprivileged are empowered, it will inevitably
lead to empowerment of India. This is the message that our freedom-
fighters gave to the posterity and the present generation can neglect
it at its own peril.
We can see an empowered India stretching its arms to embrace new
ideas and disseminate the ideals of our civilisation and culture only
if corruption in public life and the grinding poverty of the masses is
eradicated and the fortunate few realise their responsibility to
redress their grievances in a meaningful and substantive manner.
A movement for an empowered India will have to inevitably address
these issues. While projecting an optimistic picture of India, we must
harness our resources to redress the basic social and economic
problems of people to make India empowered.
(Courtesy: The Indian Express)
Last Updated ( Thursday, 26 July 2007 )
http://indianchristians.in/news/content/view/253/48/
chhotemianinshallah
Indrani Bagchi, TNN, 16 January 2010, 04:08am IST
NEW DELHI: The prime minister is dusting out his office and
rearranging his closest counsellors, which is significant in any set-
up. In Manmohan Singh's office, this is virtually momentous, because
the PM is known to prefer familiarity to novelty.
Therefore, the change of guard of the national security advisor is
little short in importance than a Cabinet reshuffle.
However, in the five years that M K Narayanan has been at the helm of
security affairs in India since the death of J N `Mani' Dixit, quiet
but momentous changes have occurred, which means the next incumbent
will be looking at a qualitatively different portfolio.
In the aftermath of 26/11, the UPA government has had to, willy-nilly,
focus on internal security in the way the US did after 9/11. The new
and aggressive home minister P Chidambaram has taken over not only the
functions of homeland security but also the planning and execution of
counter-terrorism policies at the Centre. The planned National Counter-
Terrorism Centre will be modelled on the lines of the US organisation,
which means it will be closer to the home ministry (certainly, if
Chidambaram has anything to do with it) than the PMO.
So if Narayanan was the internal security czar until 2008, by 2009 he
had lost territory to North Block.
Second, Pakistan, which combines both domestic and foreign policy,
will now see a greater political oversight, possibly through the
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). As Manmohan Singh's latest
initiatives with Pakistan (joint anti-terror mechanism in Havana and
Sharm el-Sheikh joint statement) showed, there is a domestic fallout
to Pakistan policy which needs a political response. In the post Sharm
el-Sheikh environment, it needed the political acumen of Pranab
Mukherjee to help defuse the crisis.
So the new NSA is likely to be the PM's think tank on foreign policy
issues, which must make it a shoo-in for the MEA brass reportedly in
the running for the job. But the new NSA has to be a lot more -- he
will have to be a policy innovator. While this job should ideally go
to the MEA, the unfortunate fact is that the foreign office is
stretched to the seams and can barely stay afloat. At the highest
levels, while the absence of a pro-active foreign minister may mean
that the PM has to convince less people of his policies, it also means
that little independent policy-making is happening in that building.
For instance, during the recent diplomatic outreach to Japan and
Bangladesh, it needed the PM's intervention several times to ensure
the visits did not sink in bureaucratese. The NSA therefore will not
only need to read the PM's mind, but weave through the labyrinth of
government and politics to make sure the PM's ideas make landfall.
In 1998, when the K C Pant-K Subrahmanyan task force wrote out the
tasks of the NSA, they had in mind an independent expert, who could
draw upon a body/council of other independent experts (a little like
the Planning Commission) to make foreign policy and strategic policy.
Of course, then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee gave the job to his principal
secretary Brajesh Mishra, who wanted to keep control until he had
authored the nuclear doctrine.
Narayanan saw his job as the grand coordinator. For instance, during
the nuclear deal paralysis, his presence was imperative to keep both
DAE and MEA from going at each other's throats, as well as to
negotiate authoritatively with the US. During the last mile talks, it
was Narayanan who held the deal together.
But Indian foreign policy needs some big think as well, because in
many ways we are in a new world, post the global financial crisis. The
old certainties no longer hold valid, and foreign policy has to be
more nimble, to stay ahead of the competition. India's systems are not
geared for this, so the new NSA will need particularly evolved
skills.
chhotemianinshallah
Updated on Saturday, January 16, 2010, 21:53 IST
New Delhi: With the first Arjun tank regiment completing its
conversion trials, the Army is readying to test the indigenous MBT's
mettle against the proven Russian T-90s in the early half of the
year.
"Army is preparing for comparative trials against the Russian T-90s in
the early half of this year ... before May," a senior Army officer
said on Saturday.
The Army had completed its first regiment's fleet of 40 Arjun MBTs
last May when 16 of the Combat Vehicle Research and Development
Establishment-built tanks were handed over to it by the Heavy Vehicles
Factory in Avadi near Chennai.
However, the Army has placed orders for only 124 Arjuns in all as yet
and there have been enough indications that further orders may not
come through, as the Army was now looking at a futuristic MBT that
could be operational beyond 2020.
It was also felt by the Army's Mechanised Forces circles that Arjuns
could serve the Army only for about a decade as the technology and
design of the tanks were on the verge of obsolescence already.
Having taken nearly 37 years to have a regiment of the indigenous
tanks since the project was approved, the tanks have changed designs
from a 40-tonne class vehicle with a 105-mm gun at the conception
stage to 50-tonne vehicle with a 201-mm gun during production.
"For such a delay and design changes, Arjun tanks have proved to be a
worthy combat vehicle for Indian deserts during the conversion trials
and a third-party audit," the officer said.
The Arjun project was approved in 1972 and the first prototype of the
tanks was readied in 1982 and publicly displayed in 1995.
Now that the Army had got delivery of the first 40 tanks to complete
its first of the three regiments that would operate Arjuns, the
indigenous MBT is likely to be put through comparative summer trials
against the 45-tonne T-90s between March and May this year.
Meant to come as replacements for the aging T-72 MBTs of Russian
origin, the mainstay of Indian combat vehicle fleet since the 1980s,
the delay in Arjun's production made India go in for T-90s from
Russia.
First, an order for 310 T-90s was placed with Russia and it was
followed up with 330-tank order in 2006. Again, in 2007, another order
for 1,000 tanks was placed.
While the first 310 were bought directly from Russia, the rest of the
orders were for licensed production of the tanks within India.
The licensing issues were only sorted as recently as last year, with
Russia agreeing to provide all technical knowhow to India for
indigenous production of the tank.
In all, India would have about 35 regiments of T-90s in its armoured
fleet by 2020.
PTI
http://www.zeenews.com/news596492.html
Sid Harth
Persistent deprivation
The failure to provide the people of India with adequate food,
clothing, shelter and the basic means of self-fulfilment constitutes
undoubtedly the most serious failure of public policy in independent
India.
WHEN India became independent in 1947, the most conspicuous feature of
the Indian economy was that hundreds of millions of India's people
lived in conditions of appalling deprivation - in conditions of
hunger, ill-health and avoidable disease, illiteracy and homelessness
and subject to different forms of class, caste and gender oppression.
Fifty years later, despite the substantial progress made in many
fields, that fact remains unchanged. The failure to provide the people
of India with adequate food, clothing, shelter and the basic means of
self-fulfilment constitutes undoubtedly the most serious failure of
public policy in independent India, and is perhaps one of the most
tragic failure-stories of public policy in the post-War world.
IN a society where poverty is so pervasive and visible, it is not
surprising that social scientists, particularly economists, set
themselves early on the task of trying to understand the nature and
extent of poverty and social deprivation - of trying to capture, by
means of economic-statistical indices, the orders of magnitude of this
terrible social problem.
Household food provisions in Jamguda village, Kalahandi district,
Orissa, 1993.
The most widely-used measure of poverty in India, and the one that
still dominates government policy and consequent public debate, is the
"head-count ratio". This is a measure of income-poverty and measures
the proportion of the population below a level of income defined as a
"poverty line". The poverty line in India is measured by taking the
income (separately for rural and urban areas) necessary to buy a
rudimentary food-basket, a basket that, when consumed, yields a
minimum level of calories. A poverty line thus defined, then, is
something of a destitution line, since it takes into account only the
expenditure required for food for subsistence, leaving out other
components of the range of goods and services - housing, clothing,
education and health services - needed for a decent living.
The head-count ratio is computed on the basis of National Sample
Survey (NSS) data on consumption expenditure; people with an income
below the poverty line are "poor" and the proportion of the poor to
the aggregate population is the head-count ratio.
The inadequacies of an income-measure of poverty are apparent enough.
Quite apart from the problem of determining the level of income that
should constitute poverty, an income measure does not capture many
important features of economic and social deprivation. A recent
measure of economic and social deprivation, and one that has received
much international attention, is the "human development index" (HDI)
proposed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This is a
composite index; it seeks to combine data on three features of the
quality of life - adequate levels of income, good health and education
- into a single index. Operationally, income levels are measured with
reference to an international income-poverty norm; access to health is
measured in terms of average longevity, or the expectation of life at
birth; and access to education and learning is measured by means of a
composite index that uses data on average levels of literacy in a
society and the average number of years of schooling that that society
provides its citizens.
BY all these measures, India fares badly indeed - by international
standards and, more important, in terms of the actual levels of living
of its people. Public expenditure in India on health, education and
social services has been low by international standards. Traditional
fault-lines of social deprivation - based on class, caste and gender -
continue to characterise patterns of social deprivation.
The number of people below the poverty line was 305.87 million in
1987-88 and 314.66 million in 1993-94; the number of poor thus
increased by an average of 1.76 million a year in the most recent
period for which there are comparable NSS data. As the accompanying
piece on income-poverty shows, trends in the head-count ratio in the
1990s were very disturbing.
Life expectancy at birth has risen substantially in independent India.
From 35.5 years for men and 35.7 years for women in 1951-61, it rose
to 61.1 years for men and 61.4 years for women in 1994.
Internationally, however, other countries have done better than India
in this respect (see accompanying piece). In terms of general health
provisioning - for instance, access to health facilities, particularly
in rural India, and combating infectious disease - India has still far
to go.
PIB
A boy on his way to night school, a 1967 photograph.
The problem of educational deprivation in India is critical. India
faces the prospect of entering the 21st century with nearly half its
population (and more than 60 per cent of its women) illiterate. The
number of children in India of primary school age (that is, between 6
and 11 years) who were not in school was estimated to be 78 million in
1995. India is also home to the world's largest child labour force.
There is no general law of compulsory school education in India; in
the one State in which a forward-looking law for compulsory primary
school education has been passed, Tamil Nadu, the law remains to be
implemented.
WHILE this is the situation in the country as a whole, the achievement
of the people of Kerala show that the well-being of the people can be
improved, and social, political and cultural conditions transformed,
even at low levels of income, when there is appropriate public action.
In Kerala, the action of mass organisations and mass movements against
social, political and economic oppression and the policy actions of
governments have been the most important components of public action.
There has been a progressive transformation in Kerala of the health
and demographic conditions characteristic of less-developed societies,
and the State is far ahead of the rest of India in respect of these
conditions. In 1990-92, the expectation of life at birth of males was
68.8 years, against an Indian average of 59.0 years, and the
expectation of life at birth of females was 74.4 years, against an
Indian average of 59.4 years. The birth rate in Kerala was 18.5 per
thousand, against an Indian average of 29.5 per thousand. The death
rate was 6.1 per thousand against an Indian average of 9.8 per
thousand. The infant mortality rate was 17 per thousand against an
Indian average of 79 per thousand. There were 1,040 females per
thousand males in Kerala's population, against an Indian average of
927. The public food-distribution system, the best among India's
States, gives basic nutritional support to the people of Kerala.
The people of Kerala have altered radically the system of agrarian
relations that existed at the time of Independence (as have the people
of West Bengal), and have won important victories against some of the
worst forms of caste oppression that existed in the country.
Public action in recent decades has narrowed the gap in health and
educational facilities and achievements between the districts of the
north and the districts of the south, a gap that widened during the
period of colonial rule.
With regard to the proportions of persons in the population who are
literate, Kerala and the other States of India are in different
leagues. In 1991, 95 per cent of males and 87 per cent of females
above the age of seven were literate; the corresponding all-India
figures were 52 per cent and 39 per cent. NSS data from 1986-87 on age-
specific literacy show very high rates of literacy in the younger age-
groups, over 97 per cent each among males and females in each age-
group between 6 years and 24 years, in rural and urban areas. In every
age-group below 34 years, even the rural female literacy rate in
Kerala is higher than the urban male literacy rate in India as a
whole.
Kerala's achievements were possible because of mass literacy and
because traditional patterns of gender, caste and class dominance were
transformed radically. In the conditions of contemporary India, it is
worth remembering that public action, and not policies of
globalisation and liberalisation, was the locomotive of Kerala's
progress.
IN contemporary India, the solution that has been proposed to India's
historic problems of economic backwardness is the economic reform
initiated in 1991 by the Congress Government led by P.V. Narasimha Rao
and associated with the name of his Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan
Singh. In essence, the reform consists of the policy package of
"stabilisation" and "structural adjustment" policies advocated for
less-developed countries by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and
the World Bank.
What do these policies mean for the poor? Economic theory and the
recent economic history of countries where IMF-World Bank-style policy
packages have been implemented show quite unambiguously that the
package contains policy devices that work in a variety of ways to the
detriment of the working people, the poor and propertyless. Here are
some of the ways in which the package works against them:
Reducing and "streamlining" public expenditure
State support to a range of schemes for public provisioning, which are
considered wasteful "subsidies", is cut back or cancelled. Systems of
public food-distribution and rationing, income-support programmes,
school-lunch schemes, and housing schemes, for instance, are
downscaled or cut back.
A restrictive monetary policy pushes up interest rates and pushes down
output, creating high-interest, low-investment conditions that are
good for speculators, but which restrict new employment opportunities
for the people.
Exchange rate depreciation
When exchange rates depreciate, the prices of tradable goods rise,
food prices rise, and the real wages of the working people fall.
Deregulating the labour market
Structural adjustment seeks systematically to weigh industrial
relations in favour of employers. "Deregulating" the labour market
means giving employers freedom to set the conditions of employment, to
remove minimum wage legislation, and to abolish or undermine other
protective labour legislation, including laws relating to living
standards and trade union laws. Thus, deregulating the labour market
can lead to a loss of jobs, a fall in real wages, and worse conditions
of work. An important feature of structural adjustment is the
"informalisation" of the work force: organised workers face the
prospect of reduced trade union rights and other entitlements, and an
increasing proportion of new entrants in the work force are informal
workers, with little or no legal protection of their rights as
workers.
Removing price controls
Privatisation has major consequences for the poor. When private owners
take over public assets, workers lose jobs. Privatisation worsens
patterns of income-distribution in a society by handing over public
assets to the rich. By making public services private and permitting
private owners to earn profits from what should be public facilities,
privatisation cuts off easy public access to a wide range of services
and needs, such as health, education and transport.
Obstructing and reversing land reform
Under structural adjustment, corporations attempt to gain rights to
control land and rural wealth. Governments are urged to repeal land
ceiling laws and other laws that seek to control the size of land
holdings, and to allow corporations unrestricted rights to own land
and control the countryside.
IF the next 50 years are to see genuine economic development and an
expansion of social opportunity for the people, there must be public
action - from below and above - against the class differentiation and
agrarian backwardness and the forms of caste oppression and gender
discrimination that continue to characterise Indian society today.
India's path, as Prabhat Patnaik wrote in a recent issue of this
magazine, must be that of growth through social justice.
India's National Magazine
From the publishers of THE HINDU
Vol. 14 :: No. 16 :: Aug. 9-22, 1997
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1416/14160420.htm
Sid Harth
Income-poverty in India
OF the various measures devised to measure the incidence, depth and
severity of poverty, the index most often quoted is the "head-count
index". Unfortunately, changes in the methodology adopted by the NSS
Expenditure Surveys prior to 1972-73 make estimates of the head-count
index during the earlier years non-comparable.
However, allowing for this inadequacy, it appears that the following
broad conclusions can be arrived at: first, that the incidence of
poverty declined between the mid-1950s and early 1960s; second, that
starting with the bad harvests of the mid-1960s we see a sharp rise in
the incidence of poverty which touched a post-Independence peak by the
late 1960s; third, that starting then and especially after 1975, India
had witnessed a significant decline in poverty incidence till 1989-90;
and finally, that the years of stabilisation and structural adjustment
have witnessed an initial sharp rise in poverty till 1992 and a
subsequent decline in 1993-94, but that the 1993-94 figure appears
higher than in 1989-90, pointing to a reversal of the earlier
declining trend.
An agricultural worker in Salegaon village, Orissa. Barring Kerala
and West Bengal, no State in India has implemented radical land
reform.
The literature examining the determinants of these poverty trends has
identified three factors: first, agricultural output growth, leading
to a rise in agricultural value added per head of the rural population
and contributing to an increase in wages; second, price movements,
especially movements in the price of food, which determine the value
of the inflation-adjusted earnings of the poor; finally, government
expenditure, which by directly and indirectly expanding non-
agricultural employment, provides an impetus to a rise in money wages.
While all three factors played a role in explaining the rise or
decline in poverty incidence during different time periods, the
relative significance of each and their directional effect varied
across time. It has been argued that the decline in poverty incidence
during the 1950s was due more to the stability of food prices (ensured
in large part with PL 480 imports) and the rise in government
expenditure. Inflation and a cutback in government expenditure after
the mid-1960s contributed to the subsequent rise in poverty. However,
the decline in poverty incidence after the mid-1970s appears to be
attributable more to agricultural output growth and increases in state
expenditure.
There is broad agreement on these trends and their determinants among
economists in India today. However, disagreement increases as the
focus of attention shifts to the years of economic reform. The
disagreement on trends in poverty is based on the data set chosen. The
most quoted estimates of poverty in India are based on data yielded by
the "extensive" Household Consumer Expenditure Surveys, which since
1972-73 have been conducted once every five years. The two most recent
surveys relate to 1987-88 and 1993-94. However, since 1986-87, the
Government has revived an earlier practice of conducting consumer
expenditure surveys on a more regular basis, with such surveys being
available annually since 1988-89. The difference between these
'annual' surveys and the 'quinquennial' surveys is that the former are
characterised by much smaller sample sizes. A smaller sample implies
that the certainty with which the poverty ratio can be precisely
identified tends to be lower purely because the range within which the
actual poverty ratio can be estimated to lie tends to be larger than
that for estimates based on bigger samples. Nonetheless, these
estimates are of considerable value.
Disregarding this statistical truth, the Government, supported by
sections of the media, has been claiming that the so-called 'thin'
samples which the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) surveys
at substantial cost in the years between its larger quinquennial
exercises should now be completely disregarded. The reason for this
insistence is not hard to decipher. Using those annual surveys,
economists have found that the poverty ratio had risen quite sharply
during the early years of liberalisation. For example, even World Bank
economists have indicated in a recent study (India: Achievements and
Challenges in Reducing Poverty, World Bank, May 27, 1997) that based
on the Planning Commission's poverty line (Rs. 49.09 and Rs. 56.64 at
1973-74 prices in rural and urban areas respectively), the poverty
ratio which declined from 39.23 per cent in rural India and 36.60 per
cent in urban India in 1987-88 to 36.43 and 32.76 per cent
respectively in 1990-91, subsequently rose to 37.42 and 33.23 per cent
in 1991 and 43.47 per cent and 33.73 per cent in 1992.
The massive increase in rural India suggests that even allowing for
the greater variance associated with thin samples, poverty did
increase in the early reform years. Further, even though the incidence
of poverty fell in 1993-94 to 36.66 and 30.51 per cent, the figure for
rural India is still higher than in 1990-91 (36.43 per cent) and
1989-90 (34.30 per cent). Not happy with that trend, the Government
has decided to disregard the thin samples.
If we do include the thin samples in the analysis, the main
conclusions that follow are: First, the rural poverty ratio at the all-
India level, and in most States, fell sharply between 1973-74 and
1986-87 with subsequent years showing no clear trend in either
direction. Thus if the liberalisation of the economy is dated back to
the mid-1980s, the entire period since then is characterised by a
slowdown in the pace of poverty reduction.
Second, there was a marked increase in rural poverty in 1992 as
compared with either 1989-90 or 1990-91. This was true of almost every
State except Kerala where poverty fell continuously. At the all-India
level, the number of poor increased by over 60 million between 1990-91
and 1992, or in the first 18 months of the reform period. Third, there
was an appreciable moderation in poverty between 1992 and 1993-94 in
both absolute and proportionate terms. Nonetheless, as compared with
1989-90, the rural poverty ratio was higher (36.7 as compared with
34.3 per cent) in 1993-94.
India's National Magazine
From the publishers of THE HINDU
Vol. 14 :: No. 16 :: Aug. 9-22, 1997
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1416/14160440.htm
Sid Harth
STAFF WRITER 18:17 HRS IST
London, Jan 18 (PTI) Chinese hackers tried to break into computers in
the office of India's National Security Adviser and some other
government departments last month, NSA M K Narayanan has told a
leading British daily.
"This was not the first instance of an attempt to hack into our
computers," The Times quoted him as saying.
Narayanan said his office and other government departments were
targeted on December 15, the same date that US companies reported
cyber attacks from China.
He said that the attack came in the form of an e-mail with a PDF
attachment containing a 'Trojan' virus, which allows a hacker to
access a computer remotely and download or delete files. The virus was
detected and officials were told not to log on until it was
eliminated, he said.
"People seem to be fairly sure it was the Chinese.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/473989_-Chinese-hackers-tried-to-penetrate-our-computers-
Sid Harth
STAFF WRITER 18:37 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) The Navy is all set to procure additional 29
naval fighter jets from Russia for Admiral Gorshkov and indigenous
aircraft carriers, with the government recently giving an "in
principle" nod to the purchase.
"The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has recently given an in
principle approval to the proposal to buy 29 additional MiG-29K naval
fighter aircraft," Naval officers said today.
India has already purchased 16 MiG-29K aircraft from Russia for USD
536 million. The total deal, including the warship, was for USD 1.5
billion in 2004.
The first three of the 16 aircraft landed in Goa naval airbase from
Russia in the first week of December last, though the warship,
rechristened INS Vikramaditya, is expected only by 2012-13.
The additional MiG-29Ks would cost USD 1.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/474031_Govt-approves-purchase-of-29-MiG-29Ks-from-Russia
....and I am Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
Sandeep Dikshit
Holbrooke briefs Krishna on content of his talks in Islamabad and
Kabul
— Photo: V. Sudershan
U.S. Special Envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke
(centre), and U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer (left) with External
Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in New Delhi on Monday.
NEW DELHI: India on Monday told the United States that it had no
agenda in Afghanistan except seeing it emerge as a stable and peaceful
country.
To this end, India would continue to work in Afghanistan on
development projects but with no geo-political ambitions, External
Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told the visiting U.S. Special Envoy on
Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, here.
Mr. Holbrooke was also told about India’s involvement in
infrastructure building in Afghanistan.
The U.S. Special Envoy said he was looking forward to the
international conference on Afghanistan, scheduled for January 28 in
London, and expected a positive contribution from India.
He also informed Mr. Krishna of two preparatory meets scheduled in
Turkey with India participating in one of them. Mr. Krishna is
scheduled to attend the London meeting.
Mr. Holbrooke briefed the Minister on the steps taken by the U.S. in
Afghanistan and the content of his talks in Islamabad and Kabul.
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Mr. Krishna
indicated India’s keenness to see the situation stabilise in
Afghanistan but professed disinterestedness on other issues of
tactical military importance.
Emerging from the talks, Mr. Holbrooke said India was a “tremendously
important participant in the search for peace and stability not only
in south Asia but throughout the vast region that stretches from the
Mediterranean to the Pacific.”
He reiterated the U.S.’ expectation of “more action” from Pakistan in
routing the Taliban from its bases on the Afghan-Pakistan border
despite being encouraged by its battle with the militants in the Swat
Valley.
The main subject of his talks with the Pakistani leadership during his
ongoing three-nation visit was the spread of the Taliban in the North
West Frontier Province. Mr. Holbroke did not think Monday’s attack in
Kabul was surprising “since they are desperate people.”
He said:
“They are ruthless and the people who are doing this will certainly
not survive this attack nor will they succeed, but we can expect this
sort of thing on a regular basis.
“That is what Taliban are. They are part of extremist groups operating
in the border areas between Afghanistan and Pakistan and they do these
desperate things all the time and India knows all this.”
Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 19, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version
http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/19/stories/2010011960461300.htm
Sid Harth
Foreign 2010-01-19 17:32
BEIJING, Jan 19 (AFP) - China on Tuesday rejected reports that Indian
government computers had been attacked by Chinese hackers as
"groundless", one week after US Internet giant Google made a similar
accusation.
A source in the office of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
confirmed an attempted hacking to AFP last Friday, but said nothing
had been compromised.
The origin of the cyber attack was unknown at this stage, the source
said, but daily newspaper Mail Today reported that China was the chief
suspect.
"I can say that these accusations are groundless," Chinese foreign
ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters, declaring that China
itself was the "biggest victim" of hacking activities.
"The Chinese government is firmly against hacking activities and will
deal with relevant cases in accordance with the law," he said.
In an interview published Monday, India’s national security adviser,
M. K. Narayanan, confirmed his office and other government departments
were targeted with an email with a PDF attachment that contained a
"Trojan" virus.
The email, which Indian authorities suspect came from China, would
allow a hacker to access a computer remotely and download or delete
files.
"This was not the first instance of an attempt to hack into our
computers," Narayanan told The Times of London.
"People seem to be fairly sure it was the Chinese. It is difficult to
find the exact source but this is the main suspicion. It seems well
founded," he said.
The official from the Indian prime minister's office, speaking on
condition of anonymity, said several attempts had been made in the
past to hack government computers through "various means".
The accusations came after Google said it was considering whether to
leave China after it suffered a major cyberattack by hackers believed
to be based in the country.
When asked if Google had contacted the Chinese government to hold
talks on the matter, Ma said: "I'm not aware of the situation."
MySinchew 2010.01.19
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/34216
chhotemianinshallah
PTI Tuesday, January 19, 2010 20:54 IST
BJP today expressed concern over outgoing NSA MK Narayanan's
revelation that computers in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) were
hacked allegedly by Chinese hackers, saying this reinforced the
Opposition's contention on the aggressive designs of the neighbouring
country.
"If the National Security Advisor's computer is being hacked, how will
this country remain secure. This is an alarming situation.....it
reinforces our allegation of aggressive Chinese designs," BJP
spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Narayanan had stated in an interview to The Times, London that
computers in thePMO had been hacked and suspected it was done by the
Chinese.
Prasad alleged that this revelation had also falsified government
claims that the two countries were maintaining good relations. "What
kind of example is this of intimate and friendly relations with
China?" he asked.
The Rajya Sabha MP maintained that after this incident the government
should also make clear the extent of Chinese incursions into Indian
territory.
Prasad said the BJP would also like to be informed about the present
security arrangement of computers in the PMO.
"From this incident, shall we deduce how the NSA was functioning for
the last five years?" he said. Narayanan has been appointed Governor
of West Bengal.
chhotemianinshallah
Arati R Jerath / DNA
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 1:00 IST Email
New Delhi: With the government in the throes of revamping the role of
the national security advisor (NSA), here’s a new twist to the
debate.
The first occupant of the post, Brajesh Mishra, believes it should be
scrapped.
“I was never in favour of creating the post,” said Mishra, who was NSA
in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. “Having a powerful national
security advisor in the prime minister’s office means he is not
accountable to Parliament. This is unacceptable in our system. I had
suggested appointing a diplomatic advisor to the prime minister who
would handle foreign policy-related matters.’’
Mishra’s remarks are significant in the context of an ongoing
government exercise to recast the NSA’s role after incumbent MK
Narayanan demits office to take over as West Bengal governor before
Republic Day.
Narayanan had assumed vast powers over the years, bringing both
external and internal security management under his control. Now, home
minister P Chidambaram has seized the opportunity to push the
streamlining of Narayanan’s omnibus portfolio and reclaim internal
security management, including direct charge of intelligence agencies.
With internal security emerging as one of the foremost challenges of
our times, it is argued that the home minister should be equipped with
full powers to deal with the complexity of the task without getting
caught in turf battles with a parallel institution in the PMO.
Mishra suggested that if the government wants to bring all security-
related issues under one umbrella, it should consider creating a
ministry for national security. “At least a security minister would be
accountable to Parliament. He would answer questions and reply to
debates.”
Interestingly, Chidambaram had come out with a similar proposal last
month when he floated the idea of bifurcating the home ministry to
create a separate ministry for internal security.
As the government mulls over what kind of a role it wants for
Narayanan’s successor, one of the issues it is grappling with is the
command of the country’s strategic programme. The nuclear button has
to remain under the control of the prime minister and Narayanan as NSA
was the interface between the PM and the Nuclear Command Authority
(NCA).
However, Mishra pointed out that when he was NSA, the executive wing
of the NCA was handled by the principal secretary to the PM. As it
happens, Mishra held dual charge of principal secretary and NSA. So it
was mistakenly assumed that he monitored the country’s strategic
programmes by virtue of being NSA.
“The plan that was approved by the government at that time never said
the NCA executive wing should be the charge of the NSA. I had put it
under the principal secretary so that the authority of the prime
minister in all matters related to our nuclear programme remained
supreme,’’ he said.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_scrap-national-security-adviser-s-post-brajesh-mishra_1336787
chhotemianinshallah
Venkatesan VembuT
uesday, January 19, 2010 21:56 IST Email
A year ago today, Barack Obama made history when he was sworn in as
America’s first black president, with the promise of wholesale
political change and a John Lennon-esque heal-the-world message.
Today, however, much of his political goodwill at home, as reflected
in opinion polls that capture the mood of the moment, appears to have
been expended.
It’s a fair bet that were he to run for office today, on the strength
of what the world has seen of him in the year gone by, he probably
wouldn’t be elected.
It’s not that Obama has been a disastrous president. In fact, given
the enormity of the problems on his in-desk on his first day at work,
and despite the hyper partisan political environment in the US, there
is a perceptible sense of forward movement, however gradual, on the
range of issues that his administration is grappling with.
Yet, if Obama has lost political ground and appears a mere shadow of
the inspirational man the world saw on the campaign trail, it’s more
because of his style of statecraft on the international stage.
On virtually every issue, Obama has abided by an ancient Sanskritic
scriptural statecraft regimen recommended for kings — the sama-dana-
bheda-danda approach — which may have worked well in an earlier (and
simpler) era of governance, but which is ill-suited for more
contemporary times.
In spirit, the approach emphasises gradualism when dealing with other
states or parties, starting from sama (political conciliation). If
that doesn’t yield results, the successive stages are dana (offering
incentives or rewards), bheda (using dissent) and, finally, danda
(punishment). It’s pretty much the carrot-and-stick approach, with
additionally nuanced variations.
On practically every heavyweight policy initiative — from the Af-Pak
war to negotiating with China to dealing with the Iranian nuclear
dilemma — Obama went to extraordinary lengths to signal, at the first
level, that unlike his predecessor, he was prepared to be
conciliatory.
That isn’t in itself a flawed approach, but given that in almost all
these cases, he’s had to revert from sama and gana to bheda and danda
only shows up his initial approach to have been borderline naïve.
When Obama took office, for instance, he perhaps genuinely believed
that given that he was “un-Bush”, and given that the historic nature
of his presidency projected a new social face of America, his personal
charm and conciliatory approach would be sufficient to get other
countries to do business with the US.
But strategic affairs are driven by an institutional memory of
countries, which individual personalities can alter only up to a
point.
With China, Pakistan and Iran, for instance, Obama’s conciliatory
approach has yielded no results. Early on, Obama signalled as part of
his sama approach that his administration did not believe in
“containing” China’s rise: towards that end, he even downgraded, in a
nuanced way, US relations with India, which had been elevated to a
“strategic” level under Bush. Likewise, before his China trip, he
declined to meet the Dalai Lama as a concession to Chinese
sensibilities.
Yet, it wasn’t until the Chinese stonewalled him on every major issue
on which he sought their support — and an apoplectic Chinese diplomat
even jabbed a disrespectful finger at Obama at the Copenhagen climate
change summit — that Obama got the message that perhaps the Chinese
were immune to his charm.
His sama diplomatic approach with Pakistan and Iran has had similar
results, or lack thereof, and he’s had to gravitate to a more hardline
position.
That Obama has finally had to arrive at aposition that would have come
to him instinctively if he had had a less benign view of a world
persuaded by sama and dana only shows up the limitations of his
statecraft approach. Given this learning experience, the only way
ahead for Obama is, perhaps, to be more “un-Obama”.
http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/column_obama-s-sanskritic-statecraft-has-few-takers_1336736
Sid Harth
Is America going to hell?
After a year of economic calamity that many fear has sent us into
irreversible decline, the author finds reassurance in the peculiarly
American cycle of crisis and renewal, and in the continuing strength
of the forces that have made the country great: our university system,
our receptiveness to immigration, our culture of innovation. In most
significant ways, the U.S. remains the envy of the world. But here's
the alarming problem: our governing system is old and broken and
dysfunctional. Fixing it--without resorting to a constitutional
convention or a coup--is the key to securing the nation's future.
by James Fallows
Since coming back to the United States after three years away in
China, I have been asking experts around the country whether America
is finally going to hell. The question is partly a joke. One look at
the comforts and abundance of American life--even during a recession,
even with all the people who are suffering or left out--can make it
seem silly to ask about anything except the secrets of the country's
success. Here is the sort of thing you notice anew after being in
India or China, the two rising powers of the day: there is still so
much nature, and so much space, available for each person on American
soil. Room on the streets and sidewalks, big lawns around the houses,
trees to walk under, wildflowers at the edge of town--yes, despite the
sprawl and overbuilding. A few days after moving from our apartment in
Beijing, I awoke to find a mother deer and two fawns in the front yard
of our house in Washington, barely three miles from the White House. I
know that deer are a modern pest, but the contrast with blighted urban
China, in which even pigeons are scarce, was difficult to ignore.
And the people! The typical American I see in an office building or
shopping mall, stout or slim, gives off countless unconscious signs--
hair, skin, teeth, height--of having grown up in a society of taken-for-
granted sanitation, vaccination, ample protein, and overall public
health. I have learned not to bore people with my expressions of
amazement at the array of food in ordinary grocery stores, the size
and newness of cars on the street, the splendor of the physical plant
for universities, museums, sports stadiums. And honestly, by now I've
almost stopped noticing. But if this is "decline," it is from a level
that most of the world still envies.
Video: James Fallows talks to Atlantic editor James Bennet about a
uniquely American tradition--
cycles of despair followed by triumphant rebirths.
The idea of "finally" going to hell is a modest joke too. Through the
entirety of my conscious life, America has been on the brink of
ruination, or so we have heard, from the launch of Sputnik through
whatever is the latest indication of national falling apart or falling
behind. Pick a year over the past half century, and I will supply an
indicator of what at the time seemed a major turning point for the
worse. The first oil shocks and gas-station lines in peacetime
history; the first presidential resignation ever; assassinations and
riots; failing schools; failing industries; polarized politics;
vulgarized culture; polluted air and water; divisive and inconclusive
wars. It all seemed so terrible, during a period defined in retrospect
as a time of unquestioned American strength. "Through the 1970s,
people seemed ready to conclude that the world was coming to an end at
the drop of a hat," Rick Perlstein, the author of Nixonland, told me.
"Thomas Jefferson was probably sure the country was going to hell when
John Adams supported the Alien and Sedition Acts," said Gary Hart, the
former Democratic senator and presidential candidate. "And Adams was
sure it was going to hell when Thomas Jefferson was elected
president."
But the question wasn't simply a joke. Through the final year I spent
in China, in which the collapse of the U.S. financial system was
blamed for half the bad things happening in that country, I got used
to hearing sentences that began "With U.S. power on the wane ..." or "In
a post-American world ..." From Australia I have just received an
invitation similar to many others I have heard about. The conveners
began, "We would like to develop a session we have tentatively titled
'America: In Decline?'" I also heard from Chinese and other foreigners
who look at America with an analytic eye and find it wanting. Just as
the material bounty of America is more dramatic on return to the
country, so are areas of backwardness or erosion you do not notice
unless you've been somewhere else. Cell-phone coverage, for instance.
In other developed countries, and for that matter most developing
countries I've visited, you simply don't have the dead spots and
dropped calls that are endemic in America. There are reasons for the
difference: China, in which I never lost a signal when on subways, in
elevators, or even in a coal mine, has limited competition among phone
companies that coordinate to blanket the country with transmitters.
Still, this is one of several modern-tech areas in which the U.S. is
now notably, even embarrassingly, behind. I went several times to a
private medical clinic in Beijing and once to a public hospital in
Shanghai (the Skin Disease and Sexually Transmitted Disease Hospital--
it's a long story). In each, the nurses entered my information at a
computer, rather than having me fill out the paper forms, on a
clipboard, on which I have entered the same redundant information a
thousand times in American medical offices. Again, there's a reason
for the difference; but we're not keeping up.
When I was a schoolboy in California in the 1950s and '60s, the
freeways were new and big and smooth--like the new roads being built
all across China. Today's California freeways are cracked and crowded
and old. A Chinese student I knew in Shanghai who has recently entered
graduate school at UC Berkeley sent me a note saying that the famous
San Francisco Bay Area seemed "beautiful, but run down." I remember a
similar reaction on arriving at graduate school in England in the
1970s and seeing the sad physical remnants--dimly lit museums, once-
stately homes, public buildings overdue for repair--from a time when
the society had bigger dreams and more resources than it could muster
in the here and now. A Chinese friend who flew for the first time from
Beijing to New York phoned soon after landing to complain about the
potholed, traffic-jammed taxi ride from JFK to Manhattan. "When I was
growing up, these bridges and roads and dams were a source of real
national pride and achievement," Stephen Flynn, the president of the
Center for National Policy in Washington, who was born in 1960, told
me. "My daughter was 6 when the World Trade Center towers went down, 8
when lights went off on the East Coast, 10 when a major U.S. city
drowned--I saw things built, and she's seen them fall apart." America
is supposed to be the permanent country of the New, but a lot of it
just looks old.
Since everyone knows that America's passenger-rail system is a world
laggard, there is no surprise value in saying so. But it's still true.
Stephen Flynn points out that the physical infrastructure of big East
Coast cities was mainly built by the 1880s; of the industrial Midwest
by World War I; and of the West Coast by 1960. "It was advertised to
last 50 years, and overengineered so it might last 100," he said. "Now
it's running down. When a pothole swallows an SUV, it's treated as
freak news, but it shows a water system that's literally collapsing
beneath us." (Surface cave-ins often reflect a sewer or water line
that has leaked or collapsed below.)
At a dinner in Washington this fall, I heard a comment that summed up
the combination of satisfaction and concern that ran through many of
the interviews I held. The day before the dinner, three U.S. citizens
had been named the winners of the Nobel Prize for physiology or
medicine. The day after, three more would be named winners of the
Nobel Prize for physics. All the more impressive for America's
attractive power, four of the six winners had been born outside the
country--in China, Canada, Australia, England--and had taken U.S.
citizenship, in some cases jointly with their original country, while
they trained and did work at U.S. or other foreign institutions. The
dinner discussion topic was the future of America's scientific-
research base--and the prize announcement, rather than a cause for
celebration, was taken almost as a knell. "This was for work done 10
or 20 years ago, based on research funding that started 30 or 40 years
ago," the main speaker, the CEO of a famous Silicon Valley firm, said.
"I don't know what we're funding that will pay off 30 years from
now."
"After almost a century, the United States no longer has the money,"
the economists J. Bradford DeLong and Stephen Cohen, both of Berkeley,
write in their new book, The End of Influence.
It is gone, and it is not likely to return in the foreseeable future ...
The American standard of living will decline relative to the rest of
the industrialized and industrializing world ... The United States will
lose power and influence.
This judgment differed from many others I heard mainly in being more
crisply put.
So the question is: Are the fears of this moment our era's version of
the "missile gap"? Are they anything more than a combination of the
two staple ingredients of doom-and-darkness statements through the
whole course of our history? One of those ingredients is exaggerated
complaint by whichever group is out of political power--those who
thought America should be spelled with a "k" under Nixon or Reagan,
those who attend "tea bag" rallies against the Obama administration
now. The other is what historians call the bracing "jeremiad"
tradition of harsh warnings that reveal a faith that America can be
better than it is. Football coaches roar and storm in their locker-
room speeches at halftime to fire up the team, and American
politicians, editorialists, and activists of various sorts have roared
and stormed precisely because they have known this is the way the
nation is roused to action.
Today's fears combine relative decline--what will happen when China has
all the jobs? and all the money?--with domestic concerns about a
polarized society of haves and have-nots that has lost its connective
core. They include concerns about the institutions that have made
America strong: widespread education, a financially viable press,
religion that can coexist with secularism, government that expresses
the nation's divisions while also addressing its long-term interests
and needs. They are topped by the most broadly held alarm about the
future of the natural environment since the era of Silent Spring and
the original Earth Day movement.
How should we feel? I spoke with historians and politicians, soldiers
and ministers, civil engineers and broadcast executives and high-tech
researchers. Overall, the news they gave was heartening--and alarming,
too. Most of the things that worry Americans aren't really that
serious, especially those that involve "falling behind" anyone else.
But there is a deeper problem almost too alarming to worry about,
since it is so hard to see a solution. Let's start with the good
news.
One Reason Not to Worry: We Have Been Here Before
Three years ago, Cullen Murphy published Are We Rome?, a book that
asked a version of the question that has run through American
political discussion for at least 200 years. Murphy, a former editor
of this magazine, gave the only sensible answer, which amounted to
"Maybe." When I spoke with him recently, he emphasized how much the
current wave of "declinist" worry matches a tradition that has been an
inseparable part of American strength.
"If you go back and pick any decade in American history, you are
guaranteed to find the exact same worries we have now," he said.
"About our commercial capacities, about the education system, about
whether immigrants are ruining our stock and not learning English,
about what is happening to the 'real' values that built the country.
Poke a stick into it, and you will get a gushing fount of commentary
on the same subjects as now, in the same angry and despairing tone.
It's an amazingly consistent trait.
"Fifty years from now, Americans will be as worried as they are
today," Murphy said. "And meanwhile the basic social dynamism of the
country will continue to wash us forward in the messy, roiling way it
always has."
Ralph Nader, for whom I worked as a researcher in my teens and early
20s, and from whom I became estranged after his 2000 run for the
presidency, made a similar upbeat point in a recent reconciliation
conversation in Washington. First he elaborated the ways that
Congress, the media, the regulators, and both political parties were
more in thrall to corporate power than ever before in his memory. But,
he said, "you've got to be very careful about thinking things can't
rebound. My favorite phrase is 'America is a country that has more
problems than it deserves, and more solutions than it applies.' We
don't want to be Pollyannas, but we really should believe that we can
turn things around."
In The American Jeremiad, his classic 1978 account of that phenomenon,
Sacvan Bercovitch, of Harvard, points out that from the very start of
European settlement in New England, colonists were warned that God was
disappointed in them, so they should improve not just their individual
ethics but their collective social behavior. Indeed, only six years
after the Arbella brought John Winthrop to Massachusetts, a
Congregationalist minister was lamenting the lost golden age of the
colony, asking parishioners, "Are all [God's] kindnesses forgotten?
all your promises forgotten?"
Bercovitch traces how this theme persisted through the centuries that
followed, reaching its literary high point in the portrayal of 19th-
century America in The Education of Henry Adams, to which I would add
the 20th-century summit, George Kennan's Memoirs. Bercovitch also
explains the theme's important political effect. "The jeremiad played
a central role in the war of independence, and the war in turn
confirmed the jeremiad as a national ritual." It was a national as
opposed to a purely religious ritual, because the warnings were
intended--and expected--to provoke a cleansing public response. Through
the 1800s, "American Jeremiahs considered it their chief duty to make
continuing revolution an appeal for national consensus," Bercovitch
wrote. Americans had to be told that they were this far from doom
before they would address problems.
In his recent book about Jimmy Carter's now-ridiculed "malaise" speech
in 1979, What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?, Kevin Mattson,
of Ohio University, says that initially the speech was well received,
as most jeremiads are. (I worked earlier as Carter's White House
speechwriter but had left by that time.) The speech, which did not
include the word "malaise," was officially called "A Crisis of
Confidence" and warned that Americans had lost their way. Carter began
by reciting a list of immediate crises and then said: "It's clear that
the true problems of our nation are much deeper ... The symptoms of this
crisis of the American spirit are all around us." He enumerated these
"true problems" in painful detail. For instance, "We remember when the
phrase 'sound as a dollar' was an expression of absolute
dependability." The speech is shocking to read 30 years later, for how
closely its diagnosis of American problems matches today's bleak
national self- assessment, from the dispiriting partisan gridlock of
politics to the crippling dependence on foreign oil. (One obvious
difference is that Carter does not mention China at all, let alone as
a more successful rival.) In retrospect, his grim tone might seem the
reason Carter was turned out of office the next year. But in its time,
this was what voters wanted to hear. "It prompted an overwhelmingly
favorable response," Mattson wrote after his book came out. "Carter
received a whopping 11 percent rise in his poll numbers." It is
remembered as a failure not because Americans of the time rejected a
tough-love appeal but because two days later Carter asked his Cabinet
members to resign, creating an air of political chaos. In The Audacity
to Win, his recent memoir of Barack Obama's drive to the presidency,
David Plouffe, his campaign manager, describes how Obama struck a
similarly resonant chord (minus the Cabinet turmoil) at an important
moment in the campaign. At 11 p.m., as the last candidate speaking at
the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in Des Moines two months before the
Iowa caucuses, Obama held a crowd rapt with a jeremiad calling for
national rebirth and reform. "The dream that so many generations
fought for feels as if it's slowly slipping away," he said. "And most
of all, we've lost faith that our leaders can or will do anything
about it." The crowd went wild.
The expectation of jeremiad is so deeply ingrained in Americans'
political consciousness that it might seem to be universal. In fact,
most historical accounts suggest this is a peculiar trait of our
invented political culture. I recall, from living in both Japan and
England, mordant remarks about the fecklessness of public officials,
but many fewer "we have lost our country" broadsides of the sort that
Americans have long taken for granted.
T. Jackson Lears, of Rutgers, has written two influential books that
discuss American cycles of despair and renewal in the 19th and 20th
centuries: No Place of Grace and Rebirth of a Nation. "Historically,
the prospect of imminent decline has been used as a rallying cry, to
get Americans committed to whatever is the agenda of the person doing
the rallying, often the elites," he told me. He added that while much
of today's "free-floating populist anger" reminded him strongly of the
mood of the 1890s, in light of the long history of such concerns, "we
can rightly raise a skeptical eyebrow at the shrillest predictions of
imminent catastrophe."
Nearly 400 years of overstated warnings do not mean that today's
Jeremiahs will be proved wrong. And of course any discussion of
American problems in any era must include the disclaimer: the Civil
War was worse. But these alarmed calls to action are something we do
to ourselves--usually with good effect. Especially because of the world
financial crisis, "we have seen palpable declines in the middle
class's standing and its sense of security for the future," Jackson
Lears said. "I think that was a good deal of what was behind Obama's
election--that same longing for rebirth that we have seen in other
eras. It is rooted in the familiar Protestant longing for salvation,
but is adaptable to secular arenas. Obama was basically riding to
victory as part of a politics of regeneration." Barack Obama's very
high popularity ratings just after the election suggest that even
those who now oppose him and his policies recognized the potential for
a new start.
It was recognized overseas as well. Shortly before the election, I
interviewed a senior Chinese government official in Beijing. He would
not speak on the record about U.S. politics, and he noted that since
the time of Nixon, Democratic presidents had been more troublesome for
China to deal with than Republicans. But he said, "We view this"--
meaning the possibility of Obama's election--"as a test of whether
America can change course. It is a remarkable strength of your
country." This fall in Sydney, the head of an investment bank laid out
for me the ways that profligate spending in the United States had
brought the world close to financial disaster, and the future problems
that would be created by America's looming federal deficits. Then he
said, "And we will look on in awe as you avoid catastrophe at the last
moment--again."
"Why has the United States been so resilient?" Michael Kazin, a
historian at Georgetown University, asked rhetorically, after
enumerating previous waves of concern about American "decline." He
listed many factors, including the good luck of geography and
resources, the First Amendment's success in reducing religious and
sectarian friction, and the decentralization of power and culture.
"There's no Paris, no Rome--a city where a general strike could bring
the whole country to a halt." But like Lears and the writer Garry
Wills, Kazin was at pains to challenge today's declinism on its own
terms, pointing out the successes of recent American history. "Racial
relations, the major problem in our history, are better than they have
ever been before," he said. "Religious tolerance is better. Anti-
immigrant feelings do not come close to the levels of the 1840s,
1890s, or 1920s. Political decline? The level of participation is
higher than it used to be, especially in the last election."
Garry Wills listed his concerns about the militarization of American
public life (the subject of his recent book, Bomb Power ) and the
vitriol of today's political/cultural divisions. But he added: "When
people say how bad things are, I always emphasize that we have never
in our history been so good on human rights. The rights of women,
gays, the disabled, Native Americans, Hispanics--all of those have
soared in the last 40 years." Even the "birther" and "tea bag"
movements are indirect evidence of progress, Wills said. "They are
reactions to a really great achievement. We did elect a black
president. Not many people thought that was possible, even two or
three years ago." Of course Wills's list of achievements is, for some,
evidence of what has been "taken" from them in recent history. The
point for now is that their concern is part of a strong national
tradition, as is the fluidity that gave rise to it. If we weren't
worried about our future, then we should really start to worry.
Another Reason Not to Worry: The Irrelevance of "Falling Behind"
In one important way, the jeremiads I have heard since childhood are
not part of the great American tradition. Starting with Sputnik, when
I was in grade school, they have involved comparisons with an external
rival or enemy. "Whether you like it or not, history is on our side,"
Nikita Khrushchev said to Western diplomats in 1956. "We will bury
you." After the Soviet Union came the Japanese and the Germans; and
now China, or occasionally India, as the standard whose achievements
dramatize what America has not done.
This is new. Only with America's emergence as a global power after
World War II did the idea of American "decline" routinely involve
falling behind someone else. Before that, it meant falling short of
expectations--God's, the Founders', posterity's--or of the previous
virtues of America in its lost, great days. "The new element in the
'50s was the constant comparison with the Soviets," Michael Kazin told
me. Since then, external falling-behind comparisons have become not
just a staple of American self-assessment but often a crutch. If we
are concerned about our schools, it is because children are learning
more in Singapore or India; about the development of clean-tech jobs,
because it's happening faster in China.
Having often lived outside the United States since the 1970s, I have
offered my share of falling-behind analyses, including a book-length
comparison of Japanese and American strengths (More Like Us) 20 years
ago. But at this point in America's national life cycle, I think the
exercise is largely a distraction, and that Americans should
concentrate on what are, finally, our own internal issues to resolve
or ignore.
Naturally there are lessons to draw from other countries' practices
and innovations; the more we know about the outside world the better,
as long as we're collecting information calmly rather than glancing
nervously at our reflected foreign image. For instance, if you have
spent any time in places where tipping is frowned on or rare, like
Japan or Australia, you view the American model of day-long small
bribes, rather than one built-in full price, as something similar to
baksheesh, undignified for all concerned.
Naturally, too, it's easier to draw attention to a domestic problem
and build support for a solution if you cast the issue in us-versus-
them terms, as a response to an outside threat. In If We Can Put a Man
on the Moon ..., their new book about making government programs more
effective, William Eggers and John O'Leary emphasize the military and
Cold War imperatives behind America's space program. "The race to the
moon was a contest between two systems of government," they wrote,
"and the question would be settled not by debate but by who could best
execute on this endeavor." Falling-behind arguments have proved
convenient and powerful in other countries, too.
But whatever their popularity or utility in other places at other
times, falling-behind concerns seem too common in America now. As I
have thought about why overreliance on this device increasingly
bothers me, I have realized that it's because my latest stretch out of
the country has left me less and less interested in whether China or
some other country is "overtaking" America. The question that matters
is not whether America is "falling behind" but instead something like
John Winthrop's original question of whether it is falling short--or
even falling apart. This is not the mainstream American position now,
so let me explain.
First is the simple reality that one kind of "decline" is inevitable
and therefore not worth worrying about. China has about four times as
many people as America does. Someday its economy will be larger than
ours. Fine! A generation ago, its people produced, on average, about
one-sixteenth as much as Americans did; now they produce about
one-sixth. That change is a huge achievement for China--and a plus
rather than a minus for everyone else, because a business-minded China
is more benign than a miserable or rebellious one. When the Chinese
produce one-quarter as much as Americans per capita, as will happen
barring catastrophe, their economy will become the world's largest.
This will be good for them but will not mean "falling behind" for us.
We know that for more than a century, the consciousness of decline has
been a blight on British politics, though it has inspired some
memorable, melancholy literature. There is no reason for America to
feel depressed about the natural emergence of China, India, and others
as world powers. But second, and more important, America may have
reasons to feel actively optimistic about its prospects in purely
relative terms.
The Crucial American Advantage
Let's start with the more modest claim, that China has ample reason to
worry about its own future. Will the long-dreaded day of reckoning for
Chinese development finally arrive because of environmental disaster?
Or via the demographic legacy of the one-child policy, which will
leave so many parents and grandparents dependent on so relatively few
young workers? Minxin Pei, who grew up in Shanghai and now works at
Claremont McKenna College, in California, has predicted in China's
Trapped Transition that within the next few years, tension between an
open economy and a closed political system will become unendurable,
and an unreformed Communist bureaucracy will finally drag down
economic performance.
America will be better off if China does well than if it flounders. A
prospering China will mean a bigger world economy with more
opportunities and probably less turmoil--and a China likely to be more
cooperative on environmental matters. But whatever happens to China,
prospects could soon brighten for America. The American culture's
particular strengths could conceivably be about to assume new
importance and give our economy new pep. International networks will
matter more with each passing year. As the one truly universal nation,
the United States continually refreshes its connections with the rest
of the world--through languages, family, education, business--in a way
no other nation does, or will. The countries that are comparably open--
Canada, Australia--aren't nearly as large; those whose economies are
comparably large--Japan, unified Europe, eventually China or India--
aren't nearly as open. The simplest measure of whether a culture is
dominant is whether outsiders want to be part of it. At the height of
the British Empire, colonial subjects from the Raj to Malaya to the
Caribbean modeled themselves in part on Englishmen: Nehru and Lee Kuan
Yew went to Cambridge, Gandhi, to University College, London. Ho Chi
Minh wrote in French for magazines in Paris. These days the world is
full of businesspeople, bureaucrats, and scientists who have trained
in the United States.
Today's China attracts outsiders too, but in a particular way. Many go
for business opportunities; or because of cultural fascination; or, as
my wife and I did, to be on the scene where something truly exciting
was under way. The Haidian area of Beijing, seat of its universities,
is dotted with the faces of foreigners who have come to master the
language and learn the system. But true immigrants? People who want
their children and grandchildren to grow up within this system?
Although I met many foreigners who hope to stay in China indefinitely,
in three years I encountered only two people who aspired to
citizenship in the People's Republic. From the physical rigors of a
badly polluted and still-developing country, to the constraints on
free expression and dissent, to the likely ongoing mediocrity of a
university system that emphasizes volume of output over independence
or excellence of research, the realities of China heavily limit the
appeal of becoming Chinese. Because of its scale and internal
diversity, China (like India) is a more racially open society than,
say, Japan or Korea. But China has come nowhere near the feats of
absorption and opportunity that make up much of America's story, and
it is very difficult to imagine that it could do so--well, ever.
Everything we know about future industries and technologies suggests
that they will offer ever-greater rewards to flexibility, openness,
reinvention, "crowdsourcing," and all other manifestations of
individuals and groups keenly attuned to their surroundings.
Everything about American society should be hospitable toward those
traits--and should foster them better and more richly than other
societies can. The American advantage here is broad and atmospheric,
but it also depends on two specific policies that, in my view, are the
absolute pillars of American strength: continued openness to
immigration, and a continued concentration of universities that people
around the world want to attend.
Maybe I was biased in how I listened, but in my interviews, I thought
I could tell which Americans had spent significant time outside the
country or working on international "competitiveness" issues. If they
had, they predictably emphasized those same two elements of long-term
American advantage. "My favorite statistic is that one-quarter of the
members of the National Academy of Sciences were born abroad," I was
told by Harold Varmus, the president of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering
Cancer Center and himself an academy member (and Nobel Prize winner).
"We may not be so good on the pipeline of producing new scientists,
but the country is still a very effective magnet."
"We scream about our problems, but as long as we have the immigrants,
and the universities, we'll be fine," James McGregor, an American
businessman and author who has lived in China for years, told me. "I
just wish we could put LoJacks on the foreign students to be sure they
stay." While, indeed, the United States benefits most when the best
foreign students pursue their careers here, we come out ahead even if
they depart, since they take American contacts and styles of thought
with them. Shirley Tilghman, a research biologist who is now the
president of Princeton, made a similar point more circumspectly. "U.S.
higher education has essentially been our innovation engine," she told
me. "I still do not see the overall model for higher education
anywhere else that is better than the model we have in the United
States, even with all its challenges at the moment." Laura Tyson, an
economist who has been dean of the business schools at UC Berkeley and
the University of London, said, "It can't be a coincidence that so
many innovative companies are located where they are"--in California,
Boston, and other university centers. "There is not another country's
system that does as well--although others are trying aggressively to
catch up."
Americans often fret about the troops of engineers and computer
scientists marching out of Chinese universities. They should calm
down. Each fall, Shanghai's Jiao Tong University produces a ranking of
the world's universities based mainly on scientific-research papers.
All such rankings are imprecise, but the pattern is clear. Of the top
20 on the latest list, 17 are American, the exceptions being Cambridge
(No. 4), Oxford (No. 10), and the University of Tokyo (No. 20). Of the
top 100 in the world, zero are Chinese.
"On paper, China has the world's largest higher education system, with
a total enrollment of 20 million full-time tertiary students," Peter
Yuan Cai, of the Australian National University in Canberra, wrote
last fall. "Yet China still lags behind the West in scientific
discovery and technological innovation." The obstacles for Chinese
scholars and universities range from grand national strategy--open
economy, closed political and media environment--to the operational
traditions of Chinese academia. Students spend years cramming details
for memorized tests; the ones who succeed then spend years in thrall
to entrenched professors. Shirley Tilghman said the modern American
model of advanced research still shows the influence of Vannevar Bush,
who directed governmental science projects during and after World War
II. "It was his very conscious decision to get money into young
scientists' hands as quickly as possible," she said. This was in
contrast to the European "Herr Professor" model, also prevalent in
Asia, in which, she said, for young scientists, the "main opportunity
for promotion was waiting for their mentor to die." Young Chinese,
Indians, Brazilians, Dutch know they will have opportunities in
American labs and start-ups they could not have at home. This will
remain America's advantage, unless we throw it away.
The Main Concerns
If we're worried, perhaps that's a good sign, since through American
history worry has always preceded reform. What I've seen as I've
looked at the rest of the world has generally made me more confident
of America's future, rather than the reverse. What is obvious from
outside the country is how exceptional it is in its powers of renewal:
America is always in decline, and is always about to bounce back.
Late last year, on the first anniversary of Barack Obama's election, I
was at a lunch where an immigrant billionaire discussed his concerns
about the new administration's economic policy. By the meeting's
ground rules, I am not supposed to identify the speaker--and the
wonderful thing about America is that "immigrant billionaire" does not
narrow the field down too much. The man thought that deficit spending
was out of control, that other world leaders judged the new president
as weak and therefore might test him, and that a run on the dollar
might begin any day. "But long term, America will be fine," he said,
as if the truth was so self-evident, it didn't need to be explained.
So what could be the contrary case? It starts with the aspects of
relative decline that could actually prove threatening. The main
concerns boil down to jobs, debt, military strength, and overall
independence. Jobs: Will the rise of other economies mean the decline
of opportunities within America, especially for the middle-class jobs
that have been the country's social glue? Debt: Will reliance on
borrowed money from abroad further limit the country's future
prosperity, and its freedom of action too? The military: As wealth
flows, so inevitably will armed strength. Would an ultimately weaker
United States therefore risk a military showdown or intimidation from
a rearmed China? And independence in the broadest sense: Would the
world respect a threadbare America? Will repressive values rise with
an ascendant China--and liberal values sink with a foundering United
States? How much will American leaders have to kowtow?
The full details are beyond us here, but the crucial point is that in
principle, the United States itself has the power to correct what is
wrong in each case. Take jobs, as a very important for-instance: the
loss of middle-class jobs is America's worst economic problem. But
that would be so even if China were still as closed as under Mao.
According to prevailing economic theory, a country's job structure and
income distribution are determined more by its own domestic policies--
education, investment, taxes--plus shifts in technology than by
anything its competitors do. That's especially true of a large economy
like America's. Those policies are ours to change. With differences in
detail, something similar is true of America's public and private
debt, its maintenance and careful use of military power, and its
management of the "soft power" that enlarges its freedom of action.
We could correct all these problems--and that is the heart of the
problem. America still has the means to address nearly any of its
structural weaknesses. Yes, the problems are intellectually and
politically complicated: energy use, medical costs, the right
educational and occupational mix to rebuild a robust middle class. But
they are no worse than others the nation has faced in more than 200
years, and today no other country comes close to the United States in
having the surplus money, technology, and attention to apply to the
tasks. (China? Remember, most people there still live on subsistence
farms.) First with Iraq and now with Afghanistan, the U.S. has in the
past decade committed $1 trillion to the cause of entirely remaking a
society. We know that such an investment could happen here--but we also
know that it won't.
That is the American tragedy of the early 21st century: a vital and
self-renewing culture that attracts the world's talent, and a
governing system that increasingly looks like a joke. One thing I've
never heard in my time overseas is "I wish we had a Senate like
yours." When Jimmy Carter was running for president in 1976, he said
again and again that America needed "a government as good as its
people." Knowing Carter's sometimes acid views on human nature, I
thought that was actually a sly barb--and that the imperfect American
public had generally ended up with the government we deserve. But now
I take his plea at face value. American culture is better than our
government. And if we can't fix what's broken, we face a replay of
what made the months after the 9/11 attacks so painful: realizing that
it was possible to change course and address problems long neglected,
and then watching that chance slip away.
The most charitable statement of the problem is that the American
government is a victim of its own success. It has survived in more or
less recognizable form over more than two centuries--long enough to
become mismatched to the real circumstances of the nation. If Henry
Adams were whooshed from his Washington of a century ago to our
Washington of today, he would find it shockingly changed, except for
the institutions of government. Same two political parties, same
number of members of the House (since 1913, despite more than a
threefold increase in population), essentially same rules of debate in
the Senate. Thomas Jefferson's famed wish for "a little rebellion now
and then" as a "medicine necessary for the sound health of government"
is a nice slogan for organizing rallies, but is not how his country
has actually operated.
Every system strives toward durability, but as with human aging,
longevity has a cost. The late economist Mancur Olson laid out the
consequences of institutional aging in his 1982 book, The Rise and
Decline of Nations. Year by year, he said, special-interest groups
inevitably take bite after tiny bite out of the total national wealth.
They do so through tax breaks, special appropriations, what we now
call legislative "earmarks," and other favors that are all easier to
initiate than to cut off. No single nibble is that dramatic or
burdensome, but over the decades they threaten to convert any stable
democracy into a big, inefficient, favor-ridden state. In 1994,
Jonathan Rauch updated Olson's analysis and called this enfeebling
pattern "demosclerosis," in a book of that name. He defined the
problem as "government's progressive loss of the ability to adapt," a
process "like hardening of the arteries, which builds up stealthily
over many years."
We are now 200-plus years past Jefferson's wish for permanent
revolution and nearly 30 past Olson's warning, with that much more
buildup of systemic plaque--and of structural distortions, too. When
the U.S. Senate was created, the most populous state, Virginia, had 10
times as many people as the least populous, Delaware. Giving them the
same two votes in the Senate was part of the intricate compromise over
regional, economic, and slave-state/free-state interests that went
into the Constitution. Now the most populous state, California, has 69
times as many people as the least populous, Wyoming, yet they have the
same two votes in the Senate. A similarly inflexible business
organization would still have a major Whale Oil Division; a military
unit would be mainly fusiliers and cavalry. No one would propose such
a system in a constitution written today, but without a revolution,
it's unchangeable. Similarly, since it takes 60 votes in the Senate to
break a filibuster on controversial legislation, 41 votes is in effect
a blocking minority. States that together hold about 12 percent of the
U.S. population can provide that many Senate votes. This converts the
Senate from the "saucer" George Washington called it, in which
scalding ideas from the more temperamental House might "cool," into a
deep freeze and a dead weight.
The Senate's then-famous "Gang of Six," which controlled crucial
aspects of last year's proposed health-care legislation, came from
states that together held about 3 percent of the total U.S.
population; 97 percent of the public lives in states not included in
that group. (Just to round this out, more than half of all Americans
live in the 10 most populous states--which together account for 20 of
the Senate's 100 votes.) "The Senate is full of 'rotten boroughs,'"
said James Galbraith, of the University of Texas, referring to the
underpopulated constituencies in Parliament before the British reforms
of 1832. "We'd be better off with a House of Lords."
The decades-long bipartisan conspiracy to gerrymander both state and
federal electoral districts doesn't help. More and more legislative
seats are "safe" for one party or the other; fewer and fewer
politicians have any reason to appeal to the center or to the other
side. In a National Affairs article, "Who Killed California?," Troy
Senik pointed out that 153 state or federal positions in California
were at stake in the 2004 election. Not a single one changed party.
This was an early and extreme illustration of a national trend.
On rereading Mancur Olson's book now, I was struck by its relative
innocence. Thinking as an economist, Olson regarded the worst outcome
as an America that was poorer than it could otherwise be. But since
the time of his book, the gospel of "adapt or die" has spread from
West Point to the corporate world (by chance, Olson's Rise and Decline
was published within weeks of the hugely influential business book In
Search of Excellence ), with the idea that rigid institutions
inevitably fail. "I don't think that America's political system is
equal to the tasks before us," Dick Lamm, a former three-term governor
of Colorado, told me in Denver. "It is interesting that in 1900 there
were very few democracies and now there are a lot, but they're nearly
all parliamentary democracies. I'm not sure we picked the right form.
Ours is great for distributing benefits but has become weak at facing
problems. I know the power of American rejuvenation, but if I had to
bet, it would be 60-40 that we're in a cycle of decline."
What I have been calling "going to hell" really means a failure to
adapt: increasing difficulty in focusing on issues beyond the
immediate news cycle, and an increasing gap between the real
challenges and opportunities of the time and our attention, resources,
and best efforts. Here are symptoms people have mentioned to me:
* In their book on effective government, William Eggers and John
O'Leary quote a former deputy mayor of Los Angeles, Michael Keeley, on
why the city is out of control. "Think of city government as a big
bus," he told them. "The bus is divided into different sections with
different constituencies: labor, the city council, the mayor, interest
groups, and contractors. Every seat is equipped with a brake, so lots
of people can stop the bus anytime. The problem is that this makes the
bus undrivable."
For that same book, Eggers and O'Leary surveyed members of the
National Academy of Public Administration, a counterpart of the
National Academy of Sciences for public managers. Sixty-eight percent
of those who responded said that the government was "less likely to
successfully execute projects than at any time in the past."
* Kevin Starr, author of an acclaimed multivolume history of
California politics and culture, told me that through the 1960s, the
state's public culture was dedicated to the idea that big things could
be done. "The water plan, the freeways, the universities--it was all
supposed to be the greatest in the history of the human race," he
said. "It was envisioned as a higher-ed utopia. Whether you wanted to
be a nuclear physicist or a beautician, the state would help get you
there." Now, as he and countless others point out, California's system
has been engineered to ensure that nothing can be done. Through ballot
measures, California's electorate votes itself increasing benefits;
through other ballot measures, the public limits taxes to pay for
them. Harold Varmus won his Nobel Prize for work done at UC San
Francisco and still owns a house in the Bay Area. He says that thanks
to California's famous Proposition 13, which has limited property
taxes over the past 30 years, his annual taxes in California are about
$600--one-twentieth of what they are for a similar property in New
York.
The American Society of Civil Engineers prepares a "report card" on
the state of America's infrastructure--roads, bridges, dams, etc. In
the latest version, the overall "GPA" for the United States was D, and
the cost of bringing all systems up to adequacy was estimated at $2.2
trillion over the next five years, or twice as much as is now budgeted
by all levels of government. In 1988, the comparable study gave an
overall grade of C, with many items getting B's. Now, the very highest
grade was for solid-waste systems, at C+, or "mediocre." Roads, dams,
hazardous-waste systems, school buildings, and public drinking water
all received a D or D-. The average dam in the United States is 50
years old. "More than 26%, or one in four, of the nation's bridges are
either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete," according to
the latest report. Improving existing bridges would cost about $17
billion per year, or about twice as much as currently budgeted. Worn-
out water systems leak away 20 gallons of fresh water per day for
every American; replacing systems that are nearing the end of their
useful life would cost $11 billion more annually than all levels of
government now plan to spend. "Engineers don't usually put things
dramatically, but the alarm about infrastructure is real," Stephen
Flynn, of the Center for National Policy, told me. "Our forebears
invested billions in these systems when they were relatively much
poorer than we are. We won't even pay to maintain them for our own
use, let alone have anything to pass to our grandchildren."
* Robert Atkinson, the director of the Information Technology and
Innovation Foundation, in Washington, has written that several times
per century, a "transformational wave" of new technologies ripples
through the economy and creates new opportunities and wealth. In the
past, these have included mass-production systems, modern chemicals,
aviation, and so on. Today the economically important technologies
include genomic knowledge, information technologies like the Internet,
and the geospatial information, from the GPS network, that is built
into everything from dashboard navigators to the climate-change-
monitoring systems that measure the size of glaciers or extent of
forests. Private companies now create the jobs and wealth in each
field, but public funds paid for the original scientific breakthroughs
and provided early markets.
It couldn't have been otherwise, Atkinson says. The scale of
investment was too vast. The uncertainty of payoff was too great. The
risk that profits and benefits would go to competitors who hadn't made
the initial investment was too high. The difference between promising
and dead-end technologies was too hard to predict--especially decades
ago, when work in all these fields began. So each started as a public
program: the Internet by the Pentagon, the Human Genome Project by the
National Institutes of Health, and the GPS network by the Air Force,
which still operates it. The government could not have created Google,
but Google could not have existed without government efforts to
establish the Internet long before the company's founders were born.
This pattern--public investment and standard-setting, followed by
private industrial growth--has been consistent through the years,
Atkinson said, which is what worries him now. "Our companies and
entrepreneurs are matchless in their power to adapt," he said. "We
lead in many categories the private economy can handle by itself. But
where you need any public-private coordination, we've become
handicapped. I worry that our companies can adapt, but our system
can't."
* Scientists I spoke with said that as more and more research money is
assigned by favoritism and earmark, it becomes harder for scientists
to pursue the most-promising research opportunities. "The amount of
earmarking that has percolated into the scientific establishment is
disturbing," Shirley Tilghman, of Princeton, told me, referring to
congressional appropriations that single out particular scientists or
projects for support rather than letting research organizations
distribute the money. "Science is not a democracy. It is a
meritocracy. The old cliché that 90 percent of the progress comes from
10 percent of the people is true. You want a system that acknowledges
that the first priority is to get resources into the hands of the very
best scientists, who are going to do the vast majority of the work
that will move us ahead." That was still easier in America than in
most other places, she said, but harder than it used to be.
* In 1972, Congress created an Office of Technology Assessment as a
source of nonpartisan expertise on scientific and technical questions,
ranging from the utility of early anti- AIDS treatments to the
practicality of alternative fuels for cars. The model was hailed and
imitated internationally; here, it helped inspire the creation of the
Congressional Budget Office two years later. The CBO remains, but in
1995 Newt Gingrich, in one of his early acts as speaker of the House,
led a movement to abolish the OTA, as a symbolic strike against
government waste. Its annual budget at the time was $22 million--less
than a dime per U.S. citizen, or 20 minutes' worth of financial-
bailout spending early last year. "We are willfully making ourselves
stupid," Ralph Nader said about the absent OTA. He has urged the
current Democratic congressional majority to reinstate it. But, he
says, "they are so afraid of attacks for supporting 'big government,'
they won't dare."
Nader, who at age 75 is as intense and animated as ever, concludes his
modern jeremiads with a "yes we can!" appeal for the power of reform.
("I never like the word 'hope,' though," he says. "It's usually 'I
hope you can,' not 'I hope we can.'") But he sounded pretty
discouraged when ticking off the problems our system couldn't face.
"When was the last time we faced up to a major national problem?" he
asked. "Immigration. Corporate crime. The war on drugs, which is a
madness beyond boundaries." The list went on, and of course included
the rigidity of the two-party system and "the collapse of Congress" in
terms of upholding its authority rather than abdicating its power to
the White House. "We would do well to focus on the issue of public
paralysis."
* From a different political starting point than Nader's, Andrew
Bacevich reached a similar conclusion. Bacevich, a West Point graduate
and career Army officer who now teaches at Boston University, began by
criticizing today's popular military doctrine of counterinsurgency, or
COIN. With its emphasis on better ways of fighting in Afghanistan or
Iraq, he said, it represented a "triumph of tactics over strategy"--
that is, better ways of doing a job that perhaps should not be done.
"This is a phenomenon that goes beyond the military sphere to the
political and economic sphere," he said. "I think it would be easy for
common-sense Americans to draw up a list of big things that would seem
to demand concerted effort. Deficits are too big. Health costs are
unacceptable. Oil. And yet we have a political system that seems to be
constantly consumed with trivial things. We cannot seriously grapple
with the big issues. Tactics consume strategy." Rick Perlstein, whose
Nixonland and Before the Storm are critical histories of the modern
conservative movement, said the most worrisome symptom was the
relative shortage of a jeremiad theme under Presidents Clinton, George
W. Bush, and now Obama. This he attributed to Ronald Reagan, "who
managed to equate criticism with anti-Americanism, and render
unintelligible bad news about America." In the '60s and '70s,
Perlstein said, "it was jeremiad city! The best-seller list was full
of doom-and-gloom books." In the long rhythms of American jeremiad, he
said, that was a sign of political health, despite the excesses of
those times. By contrast, the public mood now is "perilously blithe."
I started out this process uncertain; I ended up convinced. America
the society is in fine shape! America the polity most certainly is
not. Over the past half century, both parties have helped cause this
predicament--Democrats by unintentionally giving governmental efforts a
bad name in the 1960s and '70s, Republicans by deliberately doing so
from the Reagan era onward. At the moment, Republicans are objectively
the more nihilistic, equating public anger with the sentiment that
"their" America has been taken away and defining both political and
substantive success as stopping the administration's plans. As a
partisan tactic, this could make sense; for the country, it's one more
sign of dysfunction, and of the near-impossibility of addressing
problems that require truly public efforts to solve. Part of the mind-
set of pre-Communist China was the rage and frustration of a great
people let down by feckless rulers. Whatever is wrong with today's
Communist leadership, it is widely seen as pulling the country nearer
to its full potential rather than pushing it away. America is not
going to have a Communist revolution nor endure "100 Years of
Humiliation," as Imperial China did. But we could use more anger about
the fact that the gap between our potential and our reality is opening
up, not closing.
What are the choices? Logically they come down to these, starting with
the most fanciful:
We could hope for an enlightened military coup, or some other deus ex
machina by the right kind of tyrants. (In his 700-page new "meliorist"
novel, Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us, Ralph Nader proposes a kind of
plutocrats' coup, in which Warren Buffett, Bill Gates Sr., Ted Turner,
et al. collaborate to create a more egalitarian America.) The periodic
longing for a "man on horseback" is a reflection of disappointment
with what normal politics can bring. George Washington and Dwight
Eisenhower were the right men on horseback. With no disrespect to
David Petraeus, their like is not in sight. In 1992, an Air Force
lieutenant colonel wrote an essay for the National War College called
"The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012," which began with
the perceived failure of civilian politics to address the nation's
problems. The author, Charles Dunlap, who is now a two-star general,
meant this as a cautionary tale. His paper began with this quote from
John Adams: "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes,
exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did
not commit suicide." Tempting as the thought is when watching the
Senate on C-SPAN, we can't really hope for a coup.
We could hope to change the basic nature of our democracy, so it fits
the times as our other institutions do. But this is about as likely as
an enlightened coup. For a few hours on Election Day 2004, it seemed
that America had a chance to correct the anachronism of its Electoral
College. When exit polls showed John Kerry ahead in Ohio, there was a
chance that for the second election in a row, a candidate might lose
the popular vote but still become president. (A swing of 60,000 votes
in Ohio would have put George W. Bush in Al Gore's position from four
years earlier, as the popular-vote winner who had to go home.) With
each party burned, in sequence, we might have agreed on a reform. That
chance has passed, and there is no chance for constitutional
amendments to make the Senate more representative, since the same
small states that would lose power can block any change.
In principle, the United States could call for a new constitutional
convention, to reconsider all the rules. That would be my cue to move
back to China for good--pollution, Great Firewall, and all. As a simple
thought exercise, imagine the fights over evolution, an "official"
language, and countless other "social" questions. "I am perpetually
disappointed by our structural resistance to change," Gary Hart told
me, "but can you imagine what would be put into a drafting session for
a constitution today?" Kevin Starr said, "You would need a coherent
political culture for such a session to occur"--and the lack of such
coherence is exactly the problem--"otherwise it would turn into a food
fight from Animal House."
A parliamentary system? This too would improve C-SPAN viewing. But not
having started there, we cannot get there.
A viable third party? Attractive in theory. But 150 years of failed
attempts by formidable campaigners, ranging from Robert LaFollette to
Ross Perot, suggest how unlikely this is too.
We might hope for another Sputnik moment--to be precise, an event
frightening enough to stimulate national action without posing a real
threat. That kind of "hope" hardly constitutes a plan. In 2001,
America endured an event that should have been this era's Sputnik ;
but it wasn't. It doesn't help now to rue the lost opportunity, but
there is no hiding the fact that it was an enormous loss. What could
have been a moment to set our foreign policy and our domestic economy
on a path for another 50 years of growth--as Eisenhower helped set a 50-
year path with his response to Sputnik --instead created problems that
will probably take another 50 years to correct.
That's yesterday. For tomorrow, we really have only two choices. Doing
more, or doing less. Trying to work with our flawed governmental
system despite its uncorrectable flaws, or trying to contain the
damage that system does to the rest of our society. Muddling through,
or starving the beast.
Readers may have guessed that I am not going for the second option:
giving up on public efforts and cauterizing our gangrenous government
so that the rest of society can survive. But the reason might be
unexpected. I have seen enough of the world outside America to be sure
that eventually a collapsing public life brings the private sector
down with it. If we want to maintain the virtues of private America,
we must at least try on the public front too. Rio, Manila, and Mexico
City during their respective crime booms; Shanghai in the 1920s and
Moscow in the 1990s; Jakarta through the decades; the imagined Los
Angeles of Blade Runner --these are all venues in which commerce and
opportunity abounded. But the lack of corresponding public virtues--
rule of law, expectation of physical safety, infrastructure that
people can enjoy or depend on without owning it themselves--made those
societies more hellish than they needed to be. When outsiders marvel
at today's China, it is for the combination of private and public
advances the country has made. It has private factories and public
roads; private office buildings and public schools. Of course this is
not some exotic Communist combination. The conjunction of private and
public abundance typified America throughout its 20th-century rise. We
had the big factories and the broad sidewalks, the stately mansions
and the public parks. The private economy was stronger because of the
public bulwarks provided by Social Security and Medicare. California
is giving the first taste of how the public-private divorce will look--
and its historian, Kevin Starr, says the private economy will soon
suffer if the government is not repaired. "Through the country's
history, government has had to function correctly for the private
sector to flourish," he said. "John Quincy Adams built the lighthouses
and the highways. That's not 'socialist' but 'Whiggish.' Now we need
ports and highways and an educated populace." In a nearly $1 trillion
stimulus package, it should have been possible to build all those
things, in a contemporary, environmentally aware counterpart to the
interstate-highway plan. But it didn't happen; we've spent the money,
incurred the debt, and done very little to repair what most needs
fixing.
Our government is old and broken and dysfunctional, and may even be
beyond repair. But Starr is right. Our only sane choice is to muddle
through. As human beings, we ultimately become old and broken and
dysfunctional--but in the meantime it makes a difference if we try. Our
American republic may prove to be doomed, but it will make a
difference if we improvise and strive to make the best of the path
through our time--and our children's, and their grandchildren's--rather
than succumb.
"I often think about how we would make decisions if we knew we would
wake up the next day and it would be 75 years later," Cullen Murphy,
author of Are We Rome?, told me. "It would make a huge difference if
we could train ourselves to make decisions that way." It would. Of
course, our system can't be engineered toward that perspective.
Politicians will inevitably look not 75 years into the future but one
election cycle ahead, or perhaps only one news cycle. Corporations
live by the quarter; cable-news outlets by the minute. But we can at
least introduce this concept into public discussion and consider our
issues and choices that way.
What difference would it make? We could start by being very clear
about our strengths, as revealed not simply by comparison with others
but also through the pattern of our own rise. The mutually supportive
combination of public and private development; the excellence of the
universities; the unmatched ability to attract and absorb the world's
talent--these are assets we can work to preserve. We could reflect on
how much more attainable our goals are when the world works with us--
economically, diplomatically--rather than against us. We could not
compel international obedience even if we tried, but everything we
care about becomes easier if the American model attracts rather than
repels. And a longer-term perspective would mean doing all we can to
address the "75-year threats"--the issues for which we'll be thanked or
blamed two or three generations from now. Rebuilding the
infrastructure, so that it's an asset rather than a drag. Reinvesting
in research, for the industries our grandchildren will found. Dealing
with environmental challenges that will make all the difference in
whether the world looks like hell.
America has been strong because, despite its flawed system, people
built toward the future in the 1840s, and the 1930s, and the 1950s.
During just the time when Frederick Law Olmsted designed Central Park,
when Theodore Roosevelt set aside land for the National Parks, when
Dwight Eisenhower created the Pentagon research agency that ultimately
gave rise to the Internet, the American system seemed broken too. They
worked within its flaws and limits, which made all the difference.
That is the bravest and best choice for us now.
James Fallows is an Atlantic national correspondent; his blog is at
jamesfallows.theatlantic.com.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001/american-decline
chhotemianinshallah
India Inc scales up the Great Wall
January 18th, 2010
By Our Correspondent
Jan.17: Doing business with China can be a difficult task, but the
world’s fastest growing economy, which is home to one-fifth of the
world’s population, can scarcely be ignored by global corporations.
Although China is a big spender and the domestic market presents a
lucrative $18 billion (IT software and services) opportunity,
succeeding in China is an uphill task, say Indian IT services
providers. “China is an extremely cost conscious market which belie-
ves in fixed cost projects as against time and materials billing,”
said Mr Sambu-ddha Deb, executive VP, Wipro.
“While on the one hand, Chinese customers are very uncomfortable using
soph-isticated, large-scale IT systems, on the other, we have to
compete with domestic firms that work on very low margins,” he said.
China is a long-haul market and in order to succeed, one requires to
live, work and build lasting relationships there, added Mr Deb. Wipro
employs approxima-tely 400 people in Shanghai and Chengdu to serve
Chin-ese as well as its global customers. Concurs Mr Mohandas Pai,
director HR and education, Infosys. “Setting up offices and working in
Ch-ina is not a problem when it comes to export business, but
providing IT services to local companies is a difficult proposition,
as we are looked upon as a foreign company.”
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/business/india-inc-scales-great-wall-666
chhotemianinshallah
January 17th, 2010
PTI
Jan. 17: Army officials in Leh were a part of a meeting convened by
the Jammu and Kashmir government that agreed that China was
encroaching into the land with "specific design" to grab a particular
area to extend its control till Indus river.
"As per all maps and evidences, the Dokbug pasture (in Northeast of
Leh) land undisputedly belongs to India and China is moving with
specific design to grab this area to extend its control till Indus
(river)," according to an official report.
During the meeting chaired by the commissioner (Leh), Mr A.K. Sahu,
and attended by Brigadier General Staff of 14 Corps Brig Sarat Chand
and Colonel Indraj Singh, it was also agreed that all agencies must
take "coordinated and effective measure to destroy the Chinese design
and save our territory."
Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor, however, has recently dismissed the
allegation that Indian land had shrunk along the Line of Actual
Control.
The Army Chief had raised this issue during a Unified Command meeting
earlier this week in Jammu and Kashmir as well but state Chief
Secretary S.S. Kapoor made it clear to him that the state
establishment did not agree with the Army's perception.
Other state officials present at the meeting said there was evidence
suggesting that the Indian land had shrunk with China in the Himalayan
town.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/national/specific-design-moves-china-control-indus-leh-535
chhotemianinshallah
January 5, 2010
Science Superpowers
Posted by Evan Osnos
In the summer of 2008, the journal Nature published a short,
illuminating essay that tracked the global migration of scientific
research over the centuries, as empires rose and fell. The center of
world science, for instance, was in France in 1740, before it moved to
Germany, then Britain, and, later, America, carrying with it, in each
case, a major dimension of global leadership. The authors—J. Rogers
Hollingsworth, Karl H. Müller and Ellen Jane Hollingsworth—have
concluded that another scientific superpower is unlikely to emerge
with the same dominance as its predecessors. They have also discovered
that great shifts in global scientific leadership follow a clear
pattern: “Each former scientific power, especially during the initial
stages of decline, had the illusion that its system was performing
better than it was, overestimating its strength and underestimating
innovation elsewhere. The elite could not imagine that the centre
would shift.”
American policymakers have begun to notice the relative decline of
American strength in science and engineering. U.S. students currently
rank twenty-first in science and twenty-fifth in math, near the bottom
of the developed world, and the Obama Administration has launched a
program called Educate to Innovate, which is designed to jumpstart
improvements. Without being alarmist, I want to mention a few facts
about China that serve to reinforce how indispensable this campaign is
to the future of American competitiveness.
China, for instance, has had a fitful relationship with science.
Chairman Mao was wary of the scientific “élite,” and he preached the
power of “man over weapons.” But, after Chinese foot soldiers
confronted American tanks in Korea, leaders reconsidered, and in 1955
they resolved to build a nuclear weapon—an absurdly audacious target,
considering that China didn’t know how to mine uranium, and its people
were as poor as citizens of sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the nuclear race
galvanized the country—science funding soared six hundred per cent in
one year—and, by 1964, China had the bomb—a feat that “offers a
caution to those who doubt the commitment of China’s leaders to
redress their country’s weakness at all costs,” according to Evan
Feigenbaum, an Asia specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations,
and the author of “China’s Techno-Warriors.” By the eighties, however,
momentum was gone, and Chinese science was in ruins. The 863 Program,
which I wrote about in December, sought to recapture the spirit of the
atomic race and prepare China for what Chinese-born scientist Qian
Xuesen predicted would be the era of “intellectual warfare.”
China also set out to win back its émigrés. Science had never been
lucrative—a Chinese saying warned that “researching atomic bombs will
never earn as much as selling tea eggs”—and eventually Chinese
professionals grew to be the largest group of immigrants in Silicon
Valley. In 1994, China launched the 100 Talents program, to lure
highly regarded scholars back with the promise of funding and
prestige; between 1998 and 2004, nine hundred of them agreed. (For a
detailed look, see “China’s Emerging Technological Edge” by Denis Fred
Simon and Cong Cao. Also, Adam Segal at the Council on Foreign Affairs
produces a stream of valuable work on this subject.) Today, China is
one of only six countries involved in decoding the human genome, and
the only developing country among them. In 2003, China became the
third country to put a man in space. (The head of NASA, Michael
Griffin, said in 2007 that he believed “China will be back on the moon
before we are.”) In 2005, China passed the United States to become the
world’s leading exporter of laptop computers, mobile phones, and
digital cameras.
To measure the pace of scientific progress, researchers often examine
how much research a country is publishing, and in 1995, China ranked
fourteenth in the world in the number of papers it published in
science and engineering journals. By 2007, it had climbed past Japan
and was now second only to the U.S. The quality—measured by how often
those papers were cited—had not grown as fast, but that gap is
shrinking, too. Researcher Ronald Kostoff was working in the U.S.
Office of Naval Research in 2006, when he co-wrote a five-hundred-page
study on the status of Chinese science. Kostoff is retired now, but he
keeps up on the numbers and runs analyses of his own now and then. I
contacted him recently to get his sense of how comfortable the
American lead is in science publishing. “[W]hile China is certainly
not in the quality league of the USA overall, they are improving,” he
said. “And I believe it is only a matter of time until they are
competitive from a quality standpoint.”
.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2010/01/china-science.html
Dispatches by Evan Osnos.
January 7, 2010
Chinese Science (continued)
Posted by Evan Osnos
While we’re on the subject of China’s potential for science and
innovation, several items to mention:
•Cong Cao, co-author of China’s Emerging Technological Edge, is no
alarmist; he is, rather, one of the most sober observers of strengths
and weaknesses in the Chinese science system, and he has a new post
this week that points to the case of Acta Crystallographica Section E,
an obscure journal that published thousands of Chinese scientific
papers, though, as Cong discovered, “even someone who knows nothing
about crystallography could have his or her papers published in the
journal”:
It turns out that Acta Crystallographica Section E is merely a
database of crystallographic structures in which publication is
usually one-page long and the review process is not that rigorous. In
fact, one does not need to understand English to write such a paper as
the paper is generated automatically after the author provides such
information as the name of the new structure and related experimental
data.
While it may be an exaggeration to claim all these papers published in
journals like Acta Crystallographica Section E are useless, their
contributions to science and knowledge are surely not substantial.
While there is no statistics available as to how many Chinese SCI
papers have been published in similar journals of low impact or no
impact, they have become part of China’s “great leap forward” in
scientific publications.
Indeed, in 2008, mainland Chinese scientists published 95,500 SCI
papers, thus putting China the fourth in the world after the United
States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. But when the paper bubble
bursts, which will happen sooner or later, one may find that the real
situation of scientific research in China probably is not that rosy.
•In the same vein, Adam Segal at the Council on Foreign Relations
comments on similar reasons to take note of the weaknesses in the
system. He notes my reference the other day to Qian Xuesen, a
godfather of Chinese science, and highlights this telling quote from
Qian’s interview with People’s Daily not long before his death:
Today, the party and the state emphasize new technological innovation
programs and has invested a lot on “innovation projects” and
“innovation plans.” These are necessary. But I think it is more
important to have talented people with innovative mindsets. The
problem is that there is not a single university in China that is
based on a model that develops talents for technology invention. They
echo the views of others and do not have unique innovations. They
received the influence of feudal ideas and has always been like this.
I think this is a great problem China faces.
•Finally, the Times has a story today on the promise of returning
scientists, highlighting the case of Shi Yigong, who resigned from the
faculty of Princeton University and became the dean of life sciences
at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2010/01/chinese-science-continued.html
chhotemianinshallah
Posted January 20th, 2010 at 10:29am
As the Taliban assaulted Kabul, Defense Secretary Gates made an
important visit to India, the South Asian giant whose partnership is
critical to stabilizing the region and checking terrorism trends that
jeopardize world security. In an op-ed that ran in today’s Times of
India, Gates emphasizes the helpful role Indian economic aid to
Afghanistan plays in achieving NATO goals there, while calling the
U.S. relationship with India “indispensable.” Following on the heels
of the Indian Prime Minister’s successful visit to Washington last
November, Gates’ visit will sustain the momentum in U.S.-India ties
and prepare the way for a potential visit by President Obama to India
this summer.
Gates also will take the temperature on India-Pakistan relations more
than one year after the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) terrorist attacks in
Mumbai. In a sign that India may be considering seeking a thaw with
Pakistan, the Indian Foreign Minister last week telephoned his
Pakistani counterpart. However, the slight opening toward Islamabad’s
civilian leadership does not appear to signal optimism about the
Pakistani military’s willingness to crack down on the LeT. Rather, it
may demonstrate that New Delhi seeks to prevent a further
deterioration in ties and to avoid appearing unreasonable at a time
when Pakistanis themselves suffer almost daily terrorist attacks. New
Delhi still holds that the Pakistani military could be doing more to
crack down on terrorists that attack India, an assessment shared by
many U.S. officials and that appears to have been borne out by the
investigation of the David Headley case, which has confirmed links
between the Pakistan military and the LeT. The opening toward
Islamabad also will not preclude Indian leaders from expressing their
disapproval of U.S. military aid to Pakistan on grounds that the
equipment is aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s ability to counter
India, not terrorists.
While regional security is expected to top the agenda of Gates’ three-
day visit, he also will seek to bolster U.S.-India defense trade.
Russia still provides 80 percent of India’s military hardware, but the
U.S. is beginning to break into the rapidly expanding Indian defense
market. Over the last two years, India has purchased over $3 billion
in military equipment from the U.S., including eight maritime
reconnaissance aircraft and six C-130J Super Hercules transport
aircraft. The two countries are moving toward completing their largest
defense transaction yet (about $2.5 billion) with India’s potential
purchase of ten strategic airlift aircraft.
Gates will push for India’s signature on a Communication
Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and a
Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), which are required under U.S.
domestic laws to transfer sensitive defense technologies and would
pave the way for greater defense trade and cooperation with New Delhi.
The signing of one or both of these agreements during the Gates’ visit
would represent a major stride forward in cementing the U.S.-India
strategic partnership.
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/01/20/gates-visit-bolsters-u-s-india-security-ties/
Sid Harth
Updated on Thursday, January 21, 2010, 17:42 IST
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Outgoing National Security Advisor MK Narayanan will be
replaced by former Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and he will
hold a post equivalent to the Minister of State.
The change in the rank comes after much debate within the Government
about restructuring the NSA profile.
This shift in emphasis has been necessitated after Home Minister P.
Chidambaram unveiled a series of measures for revamping the country's
internal security architecture last month, indicating that he would be
the internal security czar.
Menon was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's first preference. He has
served as Ambassador to China, Pakistan, Israel and Sri Lanka, had
played a crucial role, along in accomplishing the India-US nuclear
deal. He was appointed Foreign Secretary in September 2006 superseding
16 claimants to the job.
M.K. Narayanan, a former Intelligence Bureau chief who has now been
appointed West Bengal Governor, has been holding the prime post in the
country's security apparatus since January 2005. He exercised all
functions relating to external and internal security and intelligence
coordination.
The three major changes proposed by Chidambaram relate to making the
home ministry exclusively responsible for the management of internal
security similar to the US Department of Homeland Security and the
creation of a National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by the end of
the year.
Home ministry officials said all intelligence agencies will be brought
under one roof and will report to the NCTC chief who will be a
thorough professional, possibly designated director of national
intelligence.
-IANS inputs
http://www.zeenews.com/news597817.html
Sid Harth
Updated on Thursday, January 21, 2010, 18:29 IST
New Delhi: The Republic Day parade rehearsal at Rajpath on Thursday
created problems for commuters headed towards Connaught Place and East
Delhi.
The rehearsal was conducted at Rajpath-- from Vijay Chowk to India
Gate-- and traffic on the 1.5 km stretch was made out of bounds for
vehicles, besides restricting its movement on arterial roads.
Many people, who were caught unawares of the rehearsal and were
driving via Rajpath to reach Connaught Place, had to take other routes
to reach their destinations.
A senior police official said they had issued advisories in advance
about the rehearsal.
The full-dress rehearsal will be held on Saturday and similar traffic
conditions are expected on that day too, the official said.
PTI
http://www.zeenews.com/news597840.html
bademiyansubhanallah
ANI
Posted: Thursday , Jan 14, 2010 at 1047 hrs
Rawalpindi:
Expressing concern over the alleged ‘massive’ arms build up by India,
Pakistan’s National Command Authority (NCA) has said that New Delhi
could jeopardise the regional balance by such moves.
The NCA blamed India for rejecting Pakistan’s proposal for maintaining
a strategic restraint regime in South Asia.
A press release issued after the meeting said that India’s massive
inductions of advanced weapon systems, build up of nuclear arsenal and
delivery systems could to destabilise regional balance.
“This relentless pursuit of military preponderance will have severe
consequences for peace and security in South Asia, as well as for the
Indian Ocean region. Pakistan cannot be oblivious to these
developments,” The News quoted the statement, as saying.
The NCA also took note of remarks made in India that it was cable of
conducting conventional military operations under a nuclear umbrella
terming it as an ‘irresponsible’ statement.
“Such irresponsible statements reflected a hegemonic mindset,
oblivious of dangerous implications of adventurism in a nuclearised
context,” the statement said.
11 Comments |
Amnesia
By: Ashok | Friday , 15 Jan '10 13:00:37 PM
Oh no! Amnesia again. Pak has again forgotten that China has a much
bigger arms buildup. Maybe China gives arms worth billons of dollars
to Pak for Pak to declare that India should have arms only upto Pak
level. Pak is very poor and getting poorer every month. Pak is too
small to compete with India. Hence India now compares with China.
Without USA aid Pak is poorer than Bangladesh. Pak can act as China's
mouth piece to sabotage India's growth. Pak is no more a tiger but an
irritating mosquito. In few years it will be begging India to get
business.
First safeguard borders
By: Indian | Friday , 15 Jan '10 12:03:53 PM
Building qualitative arms without indulging in bribes & scams unlike
Bofors case is important.Above all without guarding our borders & just
importing arms is of no use.China without going for war is moving
inches & have acquired huge amount of our land over decades as they
are aware of a spineless,minority appeasing,anit national attitude of
congress.hence without war they are acquiring our land.Just importing
arms without safe guarding borders is of no use.
sir
By: tom | Friday , 15 Jan '10 7:51:51 AM
looks like usa isreal russia natos have given green light to india to
attack but how sucessful it would be ! we know all pak nukes have been
taken by cia mussad raw etc but still when it comes to india pakees
become paper tigers ! not with fukn usa natoos criminals ,pakees think
its ok with these fukn whites jews nations , the benefits would be
enormous for both countries all the attentions would be diverted usa
jews think tank raw will have fruitations ,
Give a rope to her to hang herself.
By: Varghese Kattooparambil | Friday , 15 Jan '10 3:45:43 AM
India%u2019s massive arms build is very apt that her bete noire China
and her lackey Pakistan should be mindful of any misadventure on India
in the future. No where it mandates that India should have continued
discourse with Pakistan and Indian political masters must abandon such
move. Treat both rouge countries as enemies and deal with them
accordingly. Pakistan is on the verge of self-destruction and India
should hasten the inevitability %u2013by giving a rope to her to hang
herself.
Which Balance Is Pakistan Talking About.?
By: NP Singh | Friday , 15 Jan '10 1:05:07 AM
Pakistan just can not maintain any balance with India. Look Pakistan
is just not equal to one state of India.UP has more population than
that of Pakistan and very close to its area. India has 28
states.Pakistan has a population of 17 Crores where as India has about
120 crores.Similarly area wise Pakistan is No match with India.India
has a Prime Minister,who is not only exceptionally highly educated but
highly respected the world over but for in Pakistan because he does
not like Terrorists and their activities.Look at
Pranab,PC,Antony,Kamal Nath,Etc Etc.What kind of Leadership Pakistan
has.Fragile democracy is there but Isn't the ISI And the ARMY all
powerful.Pakistan leadership has kept the population illiterate,India
has institutions of higher learning.No match.No balance. Right.? India
has ambition to join the club of Developed Nations.Where Pakistan out
beats India is the Infrastructure of Terrorism,production and
nurturing,and rigorous training for their children.India not to do it
Lets not compare with failed state
By: Indian | Friday , 15 Jan '10 14:19:02 PM
Let us not compare ourselves with a failed state like Pak & degrade
ourselves.We need to look at better nations & look forward to
grow.Indeed India has everything that you have mentioned but
criminilisation of politics & corruption as a way of life has hindered
our growth.If we have a better govt like china who thinks for the
nation first, then India can reach great heights.But unfortunately its
not like china where they have good governance.Chinese wonder what
India would have been if we had better governance & scared of the
same.
An integrated development approach should be followed
By: Rajkumar | Thursday , 14 Jan '10 19:43:13 PM
We should not be blind sighted and start byuing expenisve arms from
Foreign nations to beef up security. What we need is a highly
integrated development approach which consists of : 1. Full economic
development of country ( private and public ) 2. Education, Food and
healthcare for all citizens 3. Building a best Court system that
delivers justice within 6 months and all mighty and low equal before
justice. 4. Root out corruption - establish a independent body with
constitutional powers to raid , arrest and prosecute the offenders. 5.
Have a time bound R&D to deliver the best and latest technologies for
the armed forces. Look at China with the wealth and technical
capability it is taking on USA.
Wake Up Pakistan ! India is a Subcontinent while Pak a miniscule
neighbour.
By: jnansk | Thursday , 14 Jan '10 16:49:38 PM
India's Security Interest are based not only due to the Billions being
invested by the International Co; but also India need the security at
an higher level to meet the China,Pak past History against India.
Strength brings peace for all around the world including those close
by. Jai Hind
Pakistan:Flawed vision of Politicians
By: Gagan Sharga | Thursday , 14 Jan '10 16:40:23 PM
The politicians in Pakistan are just blaming India without analyzing
that India`s functioning as a responsible nuclear power is beyond
doubt.The leaders of Pakistan should look at themselves as to what
Mr.Khan,former nuclear scientist,did and the whole world knows about
it.They should immediately reduce their nuclear stockpile as they are
in grip of severe delusion that there exist a threat from India.In
reality it is the threat from inside, from Taliban and other infamous
terror organization,that is a cause of worry.If nuclear weapons fall
in the hands of terrorists,as feared by the international
community,then it will become a threat to world peace.They should
concentrate on tackling the growing Talibanization and deteriorating
law and order of Pakistan instead of thinking about their peaceful
neighbour-India.The political leadership should correct the vision and
only then they will see that India is a friend and not the enemy.
cursing by a culprit....
By: vishnu | Thursday , 14 Jan '10 12:52:34 PM
NCA's comend on India's nuclear wepon handilig is unacceptable because
India is a country which always try to maintain good and peacefull
relation with other countries,and we never made any threat to any
countries.But in case of Pakistan,that country is a banana republic
and there is chances to reach its nuclear resourses to terrorists..
Wake Up Hindustan
By: Bharat | Thursday , 14 Jan '10 12:36:25 PM
Foreigners invested 17 billion US$ in Hindustan last year. People all
over the world are fully aware of the guaranteed return on their
investments. This stipulates the robust financial base of Hindustan.
New year has started with a downpour of foreign investments in India.
It should be a HOLY OBJECTIVE OF INDIA to be one of the most
formidable military powers on earth with naval presence spread across
all oceans & seas with an ambitious mission of crushing the enemies
who follow evil policies without any regard whatsoever to accepted
principles of human civilization. Jeopardizing regional balance should
not at all be a concern for India. A relentless pursuit to attain self
confidence in military might could only lead India to a leading
position among the most developed countries in the world. Introverts
in the govt. cannot achieve this goal. So, wake up & act. Jai Bharat
Mata!
bademiyansubhanallah
Agencies
Posted: Thursday , Jan 21, 2010 at 2136 hrs
New Delhi:
Shiv Shankar Menon appointed as the new National Security Advisor.
Shivshankar Menon, who was appointed the National Security Adviser,
tonight said he was "humbled" by the big responsibility bestowed on
him and would do his best in the new job.
"Well, I am humbled and very conscious that it is a big responsibility
and I will do my best," he said in his first reaction after being
appointed to the coveted post.
"For rest of the substance, I think you will have to let me take
over," Menon said.
The career diplomat, who had served as Foreign Secretary till July
last year, said he would have to learn his work in the new job.
Menon succeeds M K Narayanan who has been appointed as West Bengal
Governor.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/i-am-humbled-menon/570164/
bademiyansubhanallah
Posted: Monday , Jan 18, 2010 at 1829 hrs
London:
National Security Adviser M K Narayanan has expressed apprehension
that Pakistan-based militants may try to disrupt the Commonwealth
Games in New Delhi this year to claim that "India is not a safe
place".
"We believe Pakistan's policy of using terror as a policy weapon
remains," he was quoted as saying by leading British daily The Times.
India is particularly anxious to prevent a militant attack from
disrupting the Commonwealth Games in October, the report said.
"From Pakistan's point of view, it's important to disrupt the Games so
you can claim that India is not a safe place," Narayanan said,
according to the daily.
He said that Pakistan had done nothing to dismantle militant groups
since the Mumbai attacks, and criticised Britain, in particular, for
accepting its excuse that such groups were beyond its control.
"The British are still blinkered on this," he said.
Comments (4) |
IE please investigate the following
By: n.krishna | 19-Jan-2010 Reply | Forward
PM never won an election in India and is the first PM who has never
been elected to the Lok Sabha. Economist Dr Ashok Mitra was also Chief
financial Advisor to Indira and a former FM or WB, wrote a book titled
%u2018A Prattler%u2019s Tale%u2019 in 2007 and book says that the USA
pressurised P.V. Narasimha Rao to take the present PM as the FM in Rao
%u2019s Cabinet. The present PM gave permission to the paki bank BCCI
to open its branch in India against RAW advice in 1983 while he was
RBI governor. BCCI was an ISI CIA bank. Italian madam before her
marriage was working for ISI operative Salman Tassir in London. The
non programmable EVM chip earlier fabricated by ECIL has become a
programmable chip being made in Japan. Time of IE to dig all these
issues.
Pak based terrorists
By: A. Pradeep | 19-Jan-2010
The terrorists are based in Pakistan. They are planning to disrupt the
Delhi games. Pakistan says it cannot do anything about these "non
state actors." So Mr. Narayanan, is it not the Indian Goverments
responsibility to protect its citizens and visitors by a pre-emptive
strike on these terrorists? If you need some lessons, speak with the
the USAF or the IDF.
Terrorists disrupting Asian Games.
By: George Thakur | 19-Jan-2010
With India's porous borders and political self, Pak terrorists
disrupting the Asian games is not only a possibility - it is a
certainty. See for yourself, half of Bangla Deshis are now in India!
ruchika case of ray of hope for justice to victim and slight respect
improvemnet faith on judiciary system
By: SUNITA ANIL REJA | 19-Jan-2010
Sir, Ruchika murder case is not a lonely case in our county there are
plenty of Ruchika case happened in day to day life but the Indian
judicial system, Corrupt police men and officers and Big fight for
justice and Rich people can afford the costly lawyer and to fight with
current system in India in any Department like Police , Judicial,
Court are so hectic so middle class and poor people will force to keep
mum after tolerating heinous crime of their kith and kin because fear
of society and less awareness of rules and regulations . Fear of
police harassment costly lawyer and round the clock tension and
insecure are main cause to happen ruchika like murder case and people
of India believe in God and rest left on time. Simply let down us is
the tendency of common people. So in this i regard the proud father of
ruchika who has fought for long time to get justice and still fighting
for justice. Kudos to media who now give moral support to victim.
Thanks-Sunita Anil Reja, Mumbai
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nsa-fears-pakbased-militants-may-attempt-to-disrupt-games/568729/
chhotemianinshallah
Aditi Phadnis / New Delhi January 23, 2010, 0:40 IST
His predecessors have defined the job, there is no fixed format.
Another Republic Day. Another National Security Advisor (NSA), Shiv
Shankar Menon. What’s this one going to do?
First, what he’s going to do that people are afraid of: Act as a super
foreign secretary, micro-manage foreign policy, run the foreign
office…
The fears are not unfounded. The temptation of doing what you’ve been
trained to do for 40 years is great. The job has been defined by the
people who’ve occupied the post, so there’s no template.
You had the Brajesh Mishra model: He was the one-stop advisor to the
prime minister (PM) on everything that included security, strategic
dialogues with a dozen countries and the nuclear doctrine; but
virtually at war with the rest of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s council of
ministers. There were at least two attempts to oust him, one when
Jaswant Singh acted as the emissary of LK Advani and George Fernandes.
Then there was JN Dixit who had a relatively truncated brief and was
determined to leave India’s — and his own — imprimatur on the world.
At the height of the Maoist blockade of Kathmandu, which saw Nepal’s
capital being cut off from the supply of essential commodities, he
convened a meeting of the three service chiefs in the PMO to discuss
the feasibility of airdropping supplies, a throwback to the 1987
breadbombing in Jaffna. The Nepalese were both aghast and terrified at
the move which some saw as a first in the imminent takeover of Nepal
by India a la Sikkim. Ridiculous, but there it is.
And then there was MK Narayanan, much more in the Mishra mould but
different, because the nature of the Manmohan Singh PMO was different.
First hamstrung by the left parties, then by his own, Singh’s ability
to find administrative solutions to political problems has been
limited. An ineffective home minister left a breach that the NSA
filled.
So what out-of-the-box thinking is Menon going to bring to the office
of the NSA?
Hard to say. But here’s a wish list.
Please fix the neighbourhood. There has to be a much more rapid
consolidation of the gains in relations with Bangladesh. Since much of
the problem is home ministry-centric, it is the NSA who needs to keep
his eye on the ball in relation to the rest of the field.
Myanmar is going to have elections in spring or late summer, the first
since 1990 when Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory and was
imprisoned. The Foreign Office has lots of ideas about India’s
dealings with Myanmar. But, with China watching closely, sudden jerks
can cause pain. The US, thousands of miles away, can afford to be
prescriptive about democracy everywhere, including in Myanmar — but
India is right here.
In Nepal, everything could go to hell very quickly — in May 2010, in
fact, the deadline for the new Constitution. Politically, India has to
decide what it wants from the Maoists — because they’re not going to
go away.
A presidential election is due in Sri Lanka on January 26. President
Mahinda Rajapaksa has had India’s help from time to time, but has made
his political career out of winning over the Tamils militarily. His
rival, Sarath Fonseka, even more so. While there is political
principle involved here (rights of minorities, etc), maybe it is time
India-Sri Lanka relations grew out of the Tamil question. More so as
elections in Tamil Nadu in 2011 will see a changed, possibly different
dispensation in the state.
Afghanistan poses the toughest challenge. US Defence Secretary Robert
Gates has set the red lines for India: You’re doing a fabulous job
(and spending a lot of money) on development and training but, please,
just do that. No military help needed, thank you. But India knows the
unparalleled relations it has with the Afghan people. This is
Pakistan’s greatest envy. The West treats Afghanistan as a pimple in
the world’s armpit. But it is a proud and valiant nation.
An Indian eyewitness, who was in the Afghan foreign ministry when a
rocket-and-suicide bomb-combo went off recently (Foreign Minister
Rangin Spanta was in the building and spent 90 minutes in the
basement), had this to say about the counter-terrorism operation:
“Afghan security forces were professional, there was no panic
anywhere. There was hardly any international force, the whole
operation was led and implemented by Afghans. Despite such a
coordinated attack (suicide bombers, men with guns, rocket attacks),
they were not able to enter any building nearby (Afghan central bank,
different ministries, Serena Hotel) and were finished in two hours.”
A far cry from Mumbai.
And maybe, the new NSA can find it in his heart to be sympathetic to
Pakistan’s multiple crises, rather than being judgmental?
Follow this space for more punditry and more gratuitous advice to Shiv
Shankar Menon!
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/aditi-phadnis-no-templates-fornsa/383406/
chhotemianinshallah
Bimal Jalan / New Delhi December 26, 2009, 0:02 IST
Recently, I saw a report by the well-known think-tank “Fund for Peace”
on failed states. I was surprised to see that India’s score on the
index of failed states in 2009 was as high as 78 out of 120. Although
India did not yet figure in the list of top 38 failed states, ranging
from Somalia to Iran, it was not far behind. What this meant was that,
according to the criteria used in the index to rank states as well-
functioning or lawless and anarchical, India ranked pretty high in the
latter category.
This was shocking in the light of worldwide admiration for India as
the world’s largest democracy with free and fair elections; its
celebrated and universally-acclaimed leaders; and its emergence as one
of the fastest-growing economies of the 21st century. India is among
the most favoured destinations for foreign capital with highest number
of top billionaires and one of largest pools of highly-skilled
management personnel. It also has a free press with the largest number
of newspapers and news channels.
On the face of it, wherever one looks, India seems to be emerging on
top and for us as Indians, there is plenty to be proud of. And then,
there is this shocking index that tells that India is a “failing”
state, if not yet a failed one. How does one reconcile this paradox of
a rising and vibrant India with that of a country that is actually
failing to function effectively as a nation?
My initial hypothesis in trying to resolve this enigma was that the
index itself was perhaps flawed. I looked at the 12 social, economic
and political indicators, across countries, that were used to compile
this index. In the context of India, there were some criteria (like
demographic pressures or “brain drain”) that one could disagree with.
However, by and large, the criteria used to rank countries seemed
reasonable (such as, violation of human rights, rising inequalities,
criminalisation of politics or insufficient internal security).
As a further check on the quality of the index, I looked at the list
of countries classified in different groups — failed or failing states
on the one hand, and functioning or sustainable states on the other.
While there were again some surprises, most of the states were
classified along expected lines. Thus, for example, several Asian
countries like Japan, South Korea and Singapore figure in the list of
sustainable states (with scores of 40 or below), while some of the
neighbouring countries on our sub-continent, like Pakistan and
Bangladesh, had scores which were significantly higher than India’s
(95 or above).
The answer to India’s paradox of a giant, but failing, state dawned on
me in mid-December 2009. The most important political news, as the
readers of this paper will recall, was the blatant failure by the
State of India, at the Centre and in the state of Andhra, in managing
the demand for a separate state of Telangana. There we were — on one
day, the Cabinet met and approved the creation of a separate state and
the chief minister of Andhra went along along with this decision. And
the next day, it was all over! The centre’s decision was quickly
withdrawn because of violent protests in other parts of the state of
Andhra. A couple of days later, the assembly of the state was also
adjourned sine die.
The question that arose about the functioning of our State in this
particular episode was simply this: Why did the Centre have to swing
from one end of the spectrum to the other within a couple of days? I
have no definite answer to this question. However, I wonder whether
the negative impact of the earlier decision to create a new state
could not have been foreseen and forestalled. Why was it necessary for
this great nation of ours, at the highest level of government, to
swing from one extreme to the other within two days?
In the past, as citizens, we have, of course, been concerned about
several disconcerting developments in our polity and our economy from
time to time, such as, rising incidents of political corruption, slow
progress in alleviating poverty, poor administration and the shrinking
role of Parliament. Having been a part of the executive branch earlier
and a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha recently, I had also written
a couple of books on “Future of India” and “India’s
Politics” (Penguin, 2005 and 2007), highlighting some of these
negative developments. However, there was an underlying expectation
that, with appropriate action and reforms, corrective measures would
be taken over time under public pressure. After Telangana, is there
any hope? Are we really a failing State?
As I brood about Telangana/Andhra political fiasco, I am reminded of
WB Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming”: “Things fall apart; the Centre can
not hold...” And this, despite some of the most eminent and qualified
leaders that our country has been fortunate to have over the years.
Perhaps the answer to this riddle is also to be found in the same poem
of Yeats:
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate
intensity.”
It is striking fact that all the institutional pillars of our great
democracy, despite talented and qualified persons who manage them, are
showing some signs of terminal decay. Where do we go from here? Is it
all gloom and doom — as the Supreme Court observed in August 2008 that
“In India, even God cannot help...”? Is India moving inexorably
towards becoming a failed state or can something be done to prevent a
looming catastrophe? The issue cannot be ignored, and we as citizens
have to put our heads together to see what can be done and how.
This is the first of a monthly column
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bimal-jalanare-wewherewe-going/380715/
chhotemianinshallah
Bimal Jalan / January 23, 2010, 0:47 IST
India will be celebrating its 61st Republic Day next week. There is
certainly much to rejoice. No other developing country, over the past
60 years, has achieved as much as India has in politics as well as
economics. Contrary to earlier prognostications, there is now
worldwide admiration for India as the world’s largest democracy with
free and fair elections; its celebrated and universally-acclaimed
leaders; and its emergence as one of the fastest-growing economies of
the 21st century.
While there is much to celebrate on the Republic Day, I believe that
this is also an appropriate occasion to reflect on what more needs to
be done to make our political and economic systems function
effectively for the benefit of the people. In this column, I propose
to deal briefly with some emerging problems in political governance,
administration of justice and delivery of public services.
Among the vital pillars of our democratic state, the government is
supposed to be “collectively responsible” and accountable to
Parliament. The present reality, however, is very different.
Parliament does what government wishes it to do without sufficient
accountability. Parliament, as well as state legislatures, are
convened and adjourned at the discretion of the executive. Each
session of Parliament then approves whatever the government wishes —
with or without discussion.
Thus, during the short winter session in 2009, as was widely reported
in the Press, four legislative bills were passed within the last five
minutes of the session. This was, however, not an isolated aberration.
In the previous year, on the last day of the Lok Sabha session, eight
legislative bills were passed in exactly 17 minutes. The bottom in the
role of Parliament was perhaps reached in March 2006 when the Budget,
including the Finance Bill, was passed suddenly without sufficient
notice. Parliament was adjourned sine die, only to be reconvened after
a few days (when the initial situation leading to the sudden
adjournment was no longer relevant). Parliament was then asked to
discuss the Budget, which had already been approved by it a few days
ago!
Over the past few decades, the size of government machinery has
increased phenomenally, and the number of ministries and departments
has multiplied. Today, India has by far the largest number of
administrative departments/ministries among well-established
democratic countries. Multiple ministries — as many as 10 or 12 — are
involved in getting anything done.
There are finance, planning, rural or urban development, road or rail
transport, women or child welfare, agriculture or food, commerce or
industry, water or irrigation, health or human resources, and so on,
in moving any public good or service from one point of the delivery
chain to another. The discretionary role of ministers in the decision-
making process has increased substantially, while their accountability
has decreased. There has also been an increasing politicisation of
bureaucracy, and exercise of discretion by ministers in posting and
transfer of civil servants at all levels of the administrative
hierarchy. The transfer of 1,000 civil servants when a government
comes to power, in some states, is not uncommon. With shifting
loyalties of small parties in a coalition, rising number of criminals
in politics, and enormous powers to allocate resources, it is not
difficult to visualise what these frequent transfers of civil servants
are expected to achieve.
The judiciary is still believed to be above suspicion, but the
judicial system as a whole has become largely non-functional with
millions of pending cases. These may take a quarter of a century to
resolve. Some years ago, no less than a former chief justice of the
Supreme Court was pleased to give his legal opinion in a foreign court
that India’s judicial system was practically non-functional in
settling disputes. Some laws are 100 or 150 years old, and several are
practically unenforceable.
No wonder the “demand and supply” of corruption in the administrative
system are much more visible now than ever before. According to the
Corruption Perception Index, compiled by Transparency International,
India is close to the top of the list of countries with highest levels
of corruption — not very far from its neighbours, who figure in the
list of failed states (i.e. Pakistan and Bangladesh).
A primary reason why the abundant “supply” of corruption by public
servants creates its own “demand” is the complexity of administrative
procedures at multiple levels for pursuing any economic activity or
carrying on with the ordinary business of life. Thus, for example, at
least 30 different clearances, involving several agencies at the
Centre and states, are required for setting up a modest-sized
industrial factory. On foreign direct investment, there are 177
separate press notes issued over several decades. Many of these are
still valid.
While India’s rank in the Corruption Perception Index is high, its
rank in the Human Development Index is low in respect of delivery of
public services to the poor in areas of health, nutrition, literacy,
sanitation and shelter. India continues to have the largest number of
persons below the poverty line in the world, and their absolute
numbers are in fact increasing over time, according to some
indicators.
There is a sharp increase in the rural-urban divide in terms of levels
of living. Restlessness among disadvantaged communities is also
spreading. This was highlighted by the Central government itself a
couple of years ago, when it was observed that nearly one-third to one-
fourth of India’s districts were being controlled by extra-legal
entities.
In next month’s column, I will suggest some relatively simple
administrative and institutional reforms to regain the lost ground,
and achieve India’s full potential for growth and poverty alleviation.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/bimal-jalanare-wewherewe-going-ii/383407/
chhotemianinshallah
Arun Joshi, Hindustan Times
Jammu, January 23, 2010
First Published: 00:12 IST(23/1/2010)
Last Updated: 01:26 IST(23/1/2010)
The Indian Army lags far behind China in military infrastructure along
the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
“We lag far behind in infrastructure development,” General Officer
Commanding, Northern Command, Lieutenant General BS Jaswal, told
Hindustan Times.
China has built all-weather metalled roads leading right up to its
border posts facing Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and Demchok and Fukche
in Ladakh. It can, thus, move troops and material very easily to the
border.
Indian troops, on the other hand, often have to march miles to the
front. Roads, where they exist, are dotted with potholes, with long
stretches of boulders and slush, leading to accidents that slow down
movement.
Better connectivity allows the Chinese to cover 400 km a day. The
Indian army finds it difficult to cover more than 200 km a day in the
forward areas.
The Indian armed forces have activated three airfields at Daulat Beg
Oldi, Fukche and Nyoma, about 220-250 km east of Leh since May 31,
2008. But only AN 32 transport planes can land there. “They have
little operational value,” another senior army officer said.
The only airfield near the China border from where India can deploy
warplanes is at Tezpur in Assam, where it has stationed its frontline
Sukhoi 30 planes.
Chinese military aircraft, however, can reach Shimla, Chandigarh and
Leh within five minutes and New Delhi within 20 minutes of taking off
from their forward base in Gar Gunsa, across the border, from Demchok
in Tibet.
It has five such airfields in Tibet where it has stationed warplanes.
After the 1962 India-China war, India pursued a policy not to develop
infrastructure, especially roads, near the Line of Actual Control.
Reason: in the event of Chinese troops breaking through Indian
defences, they would be greeted by hostile roads and infrastructure.
This strategy was reversed in 2005.
Accordingly, the government of India woke up to the need to build
infrastructure along the 4,057-km LAC from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir
(north) to Himachal Pradesh (west), Uttarakhand (middle region) and
Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim (east) sectors of the border with China.
Twenty-seven projects for construction of roads were sanctioned, but
only six of them have been commissioned.
Each kilometer of road in the mountainous areas along the Line of
Actual Control costs Rs 15 crore.
“The Indian Army is improving its infrastructure and capacity building
on a massive scale and we are prepared to meet any eventuality if the
need arises,” the Northern Command chief said.
Comments
hiralal1:06 pm
Indian army can even defeat US army, we are that powerful, especially
in a bollywood movie. In a bollywood, we have already conquered the
world twice
jangbahadur12:54 pm
Gen Deepak Kapoor has made many irresposible statements.He is the same
guy who moved Gen Panag from Northern command to Central command after
Panag found Gen Kapoors involvement in a scam when he was the Army
commander northern command.I am glad to see Kapoor go
pakiterminator12:53 pm
but we are far ahead of ethopia , so still a country is behind us ,
Dont know if I want to fight china , not in a mood
Prabhjot12:45 pm
The policies of successive Indian governments may have defended well
their minds from being penetrated by cliche`s of wisdom but they
couldn't do a weasle's nuts to defend our borders. You don't need a 5-
star general to understand that the outcome of war is decided by the
preparations in the peace time... staying status quo is not an option.
If you don't improve continuosly you are moving backward in time. But
the unique policies of the Indian govt, tested through time ...lost
half of Kashmir in 1948 and then got thrashed by China in 1962....may
not appear to be idiotic to our politicians and generals whose minds
have no place else than to invent opportunities for commissions from
the mega defense deals from foreign suppliers. If these people were
not corrupt India would be building weapons and planes and ships and
supplying to the world!
Hidayat Khan12:44 pm
At last we can sleep again as Gen Deepak made a claim two week ago
that india can fight both China and Pakistan at the same time, so if
this new report is true then we can be saved for the timebeing, at
least!
khan12:44 pm
Finally the reality strikes - India is far behind China in everything
by almost 25/50 years. Keep playing gulli danda with Pakistan
pranab nath12:41 pm
i bow b4 this stategy.... only an india like me and the stragey maker
can thik like that barvo........ ha ha ha ha ha
Blati Bhai Moga Wale (Canada) 12:30 pm
The best way to counter CHINA’S defense system & its capabilities is
to first make the ‘Made in India” brand very qualitative, strong and
competitive so that unlike Indians you can find anywhere in this globe
and in the same way replace made in China make products with Made in
India products in this Globe. Economical & patriotic strengths are the
greatest forces to become a world leader. China indeed is well trying
to achieve this during the slower pace of growth days of America and
China is very focused to achieve this soon unless he has any
competition and it is only India who can be an viable treat to their
objectives. But China well knows that as long as Political corruption
and inaction and very character of Indian fabric is corrupt and
misguided they (China) need not worry much:
chhotemianinshallah
Reuters
New Delhi, January 21, 2010
First Published: 20:26 IST(21/1/2010)
Last Updated: 20:35 IST(21/1/2010)
The Navy has started a $1.5 billion overhaul of its ageing Soviet-era
fleet of aircraft, seeking to boost its air power in an Indian Ocean
region where a growing China is threatening its traditional dominance.
The investment is one of the biggest the Indian Navy has made in
recent years and reflects New Delhi's urgency to modernise its
military, a move that rival Pakistan says could spark an arms build-up
and destabilise an already roiled South Asia.
India plans to buy 16 new MIG-29 fighter jets, half a dozen light
combat aircraft, unmanned patrol planes and multi-role helicopters.
Tenders for these will be floated soon, Indian officials said.
The Indian Navy is also upgrading its Sea Harrier fighter jets, IL-38
maritime anti-submarine warfare planes and acquiring five Kamov KA-31
patrol helicopters.
"We are acquiring new fighters and helicopters to ... supplement a new
aircraft carrier we are getting soon," Commander P.V.S. Satish, the
Navy spokesman said in New Delhi on Thursday.
Analysts said the upgrade of the Navy was long due.
"It is almost a matter of time before ships from China arrive in
India's backyard," said Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic
studies at New Delhi's Centre for Policy Research.
India and China are locked in a battle to lead Asia. New Delhi fears
China is creating an arc of influence in the Indian Ocean region,
bolstering claims over what has traditionally been seen as India's
backyard.
Indian officials said Pakistan, too, was modernising its navy.
Pakistan's National Command Authority (NCA), which oversees the
country's nuclear weapons, said last week India's arms modernisation
plans could destabilise the regional balance.
chhotemianinshallah
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, January 22, 2010
First Published: 11:51 IST(22/1/2010)
Last Updated: 11:53 IST(22/1/2010)
Lt General Vijay Kumar Singh, the present commander-in-chief of the
Eastern Army Command, will be the next Indian Army chief, it was
announced here Friday.
Singh will take over from the incumbent army chief General Deepak
Kapoor on March 31, the defence ministry said.
The decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
(ACC) on Thursday.
chhotemianinshallah
Prabhakar Sinha , TNN, 23 January 2010, 01:09am IST
NEW DELHI: The US financial crisis may have expedited a shift in
global economic power. According to a report by global consultancy
firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), India could become the world’s
third largest economy by purchasing power parity (PPP), overtaking
Japan in 2012.
This would be almost 20 years ahead of Goldman Sachs’ projection of
2032 in its BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) report.
India is also expected to grow faster than China after 2020. China,
which was projected to become the world’s largest economy by 2041, now
looks set to achieve the distinction sometime around 2020, the PwC
report said.
‘‘While the exact date is open to doubt, it seems highly likely that,
by 2030, China will clearly be the largest economy in the world on
PPP,” writes PwC head of macroeconomics John Hawksworth in the
report.
chhotemianinshallah
Press Trust Of India
Moscow, Russia, December 29, 2009
First Published: 17:12 IST(29/12/2009)
Last Updated: 17:17 IST(29/12/2009)
India and Russia are to invest USD 600 million to set up a joint
venture (JV) to produce a medium lift transport aircraft for their
armed forces.
While Bangalore based state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
will fork out USD 300 million, Russia's United Aircraft Cooperation
(UAC) will invest a similar amount for the joint venture which will
start rolling out the aircraft by 2017.
The Voice of Russia radio said that the joint venture coming up with
fifty-fifty equity would develop the aircraft at Aviastar-SP plant
based in Ulyanovsk city on Volga. The Indian Air Force is expected to
order at least 35 and Russian Air Force as many as 100 medium lift
transport aircraft.
In its basic configuration the new transport aircraft will have a
payload capacity of 18.5 tons of cargo and can fly up to a a distance
of 2500 km in any climatic conditions.
The aircraft is being designed to also operate from high altitude
mountain airstrips, according to information posted on UAC website.
India hopes that the new medium lift transport aircraft will replace
its ageing fleet of 104 AN-32 aircraft.
Though India has signed a contract worth USD 398 million for the
upgradation of these aircrafts between this year to 2017, the new
plane will replace it.
bademiyansubhanallah
IANS, 25 January 2010, 10:26pm IST
NEW DELHI: Keen to give their growing economic ties the shape of a
strategic partnership, India and South Korea on Monday agreed to
create a framework for bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and also
signed pacts in areas ranging from peaceful uses of outer space to
cooperation in IT.
The two countries set a target of nearly doubling their $16 billion
bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2014 and accelerate cooperation in
areas like combating maritime piracy and joint development of military
hardware.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with visiting South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak on Monday evening on a wide range of
bilateral, regional and global issues, including the intensification
of economic ties, UN reforms and cooperation in civilian nuclear
energy, defence and civilian space technologies.
The two sides inked four accords after the talks - related to
cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, IT, science and
technology for the year 2010-12 and transfer of sentenced persons.
They agreed to set up a fund of $10 million (with each side
contributing $5 million) to promote bilateral research ventures.
Manmohan Singh assured his South Korean guest that his government was
doing everything possible to fast-track the $12 billion South Korean
Posco steel project at Jagatsinghpur district in Orissa, the single
largest foreign direct investment in India. He also hoped for more
investment from Seoul in manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.
Cooperation in the areas of civilian nuclear energy figured
prominently in the discussions.
Lee told Manmohan Singh he was "very optimistic" about progress in
this area and stressed that South Korean nuclear companies were "very
competitive" in this regard, reliable sources said.
"The two leaders shared the view that nuclear energy can play an
important role as a safe, sustainable and non-polluting source of
energy. They agreed to facilitate development of a framework for
bilateral civil nuclear cooperation," said a joint statement after the
talks.
South Korea, a member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, backed
consensus in the NSG for re-opening global nuclear trade with India in
September last year.
Interacting with businessmen, Lee had said cooperation in civilian
nuclear power with India could be a "productive" sector for
collaboration.
Nuclear power accounts for nearly 45 percent of South Korea's total
electricity consumption. A South Korean consortium won $20.4 billion
contract to build four 1,400-MW civilian nuclear power units in the
UAE, beating American and French companies for one of Middle East's
biggest energy deals.
India has signed civil nuclear accords with seven countries - the US,
France, Russia, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Argentina and Mongolia - and is
expected to sign another one with Canada this year.
Lee will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, a signal
honour bestowed on the leaders of those countries with which India
wishes to develop strategic ties.
In economic sphere, the two sides agreed to encourage FDI and to
finalise a revised Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) before
the end of 2010. A joint committee on investment promotion will meet
in New Delhi later this year.
bademiyansubhanallah
Rajat Pandit, TNN, 24 January 2010, 01:30am IST
NEW DELHI: Army is going in for a major induction of BrahMos Block-II
land-attack cruise missiles (LACM), which have been designed as
"precision strike weapons" capable of hitting small targets in
cluttered urban environments.
Sources say the defence ministry will ``soon'' approach the Cabinet
Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, for
the green signal to arm the Army with two regiments of the BrahMos
Block-II land-attack cruise missiles (LACM).
Swift induction of BrahMos Block-II is necessary because Pakistan Army
is inducting its nuclear-capable Babur LACM, developed with China's
help to have a 500-km strike range, in large numbers. BrahMos-II can
potentially be used for ``surgical strikes'' at terror training camps
across the border without causing collateral damage.
One regiment of the 290-km range BrahMos-I variant, which consists of
67 missiles, five mobile autonomous launchers on 12x12 Tatra vehicles
and two mobile command posts, among other equipment, is already
operational in the Army. It had earlier ordered two BrahMos regiments
in the first phase at a cost of Rs 8,352 crore.
The BrahMos Block-II variant has been developed to take out a specific
small target, with a low radar cross-section, in a multi-target
environment.
The air-breathing missile, which flies at speeds up to 2.8 Mach
(almost three times the speed of sound), of course, does not come
cheap. With `multi-spectral seekers' for `target-discriminating
capabilities', each missile costs upwards of Rs 25 crore.
Incidentally, Indian Navy too has inducted BrahMos's naval variant on
some warships, having earlier placed orders worth Rs 711 crore for 49
firing units.
While these missiles are fired from `inclined launchers', Navy is also
gearing up to induct `vertical launchers'.
This is significant since `vertical launchers' are fitted under the
warship's deck, protecting them from the atmospheric conditions and
imparting some stealth to the weapon system. It also allows the
missile to be fired in any direction.
Two such modules, with 16 missiles, are to fitted in each of the three
Kolkata-class P-15A destroyers being built at Mazagon Docks at a cost
of Rs 11,662 crore.
BrahMos will also arm the three more Talwar-class `stealth' frigates
being built at Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad (Russia) under a Rs
5,514-crore project.
But the work on submarine and air-launched versions of BrahMos is
still going quite slow. While talks with Russia are now in the final
stages for BrahMos' integration with Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, the
missile will be tested for the first time from submersible pontoon
launchers this year in preparation for their induction on submarines.
India and Russia have also begun preliminary work on a ``hypersonic''
BrahMos-2 missile capable of flying at a speed between 5 and 7 Mach,
as reported earlier.
The armed forces' eventual plan, of course, is to have nuclear-tipped
LACMs, with strike ranges over 1,500 km. Unlike ballistic missiles
like Agni, cruise missiles do not leave the atmosphere and are powered
and guided throughout their flight path.
Cruise missiles, which can evade enemy radars and air defence systems
since they fly at low altitudes, are also much cheaper as well as more
accurate and easier to operate than ballistic missiles.