Author: India Writes Network

India’s FDI dreams

- by India Writes Network

Billions of dollars in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have been assured to India thanks to Prime Minister Modi’s successful foreign tours and the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Hopefully countries with more wealth and technology than us will help us create jobs. But in his efforts at gathering FDI, the Prime Minister is not any different from the previous government which also staged many road shows with union and state ministers, politicians and even the prime minister going abroad to woo foreign investors.

Everyone knows the advantages of FDI, but there are disadvantages also. One has to remember that FDI in the past has been capital intensive and not labour intensive. Foreign companies tend to use more technology to retain their competitiveness and flexibility than go for hiring more workers. Most are afraid of encountering labour problems. Millions of jobs, however, are needed in India and therefore there has to be a policy of encouraging labour intensive FDI. In mining industry, there is a danger of FDI harming the environment in their extractive manoeuvers. Hence India has to study carefully what kind of FDI it wants.

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Celebrating Indian diaspora, in London

- by India Writes Network

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi won’t be present when the eighth Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (RPBD) convention kicks off in London, on October 17. But his shadow will certainly loom large in a gathering of hundreds of members of the Indian diaspora in the British capital.
Forging a closer bond with the Indians diaspora isn’t the only objective behind holding RPBDs across the globe. The intent also is to strengthen bilateral ties with the country where a RPBD is held. Fittingly, the London convention will be jointly inaugurated by India’s Minister for External Affairs and Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.
Mr Modi’s keenness to engage with the diaspora was also evident when he, as the Gujarat chief minister, proposed that the 2015 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas be held in Gujarat to mark the 100th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return from Africa. His dream became reality after he was sworn-in as PM. His state’s capital, Gandhinagar will host the event next January.

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When Modi met Xi

- by India Writes Network

On the day Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Gujarat on September 17, The Hindu newspaper published an op-ed called ‘Towards an Asian century of prosperity’ in which President Xi spoke of his country as the factory and India as the world’s back office, he referred to the new government in power bringing in new reforms. He spoke of deepened mutual trust by “strengthening strategic dialogue and enhancing political confidence.” The article was expectedly replete with bonhomie and optimism although India was not too happy being relegated to the back office. Nevertheless, Xi concluded by saying that he was “confident that as long as China and India work together, the Asian century of prosperity and renewal will surely arrive at an early date.” All this sounded wonderful.

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Why Latin America

- by India Writes Network

The thirty-three countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) present a diverse and complex diplomatic challenge. Geographic distance is complicated by a comparative lack of historic, cultural/linguistic, and diaspora connections that India shares with almost all other regions, in greater or lesser measure. We justifiably nurture the bond with Indian origin communities in the Eastern Caribbean. We need now to concentrate on Latin America, five times the size of India, with 600 million inhabitants enjoying a per capita income over US$ 11,000. Select Indian circles are aware of the region’s massive resource base of energy, minerals, arable land and biodiversity.

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