India and the World

Chasing Urban Dream: India identifies 98 smart cities

- by India Writes Network

India’s smart cities mission has moved a step forward with the government announcing the list of 98 ‘Smart Cities’ that will be developed to enhance the quality of urban life in India. With the Indian economy growing over the past couple of decades, a host of problems associated with unplanned urbanization have cropped up.

Indian cities have started becoming unlivable, according to many urban development reports, and are facing plenty of challenges from housing to infrastructure, sanitation, employment and public transport. To help address these issues, the government has shortlisted 98 cities across the country as part of its Smart Cities project.

The Centre has decided to provide funding of Rs 48,000 crore to selected cities to improve infrastructure and public service delivery with the help of technology and e-governance.

Smart City has also become a major plank of India’s foreign policy thrust, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking support of developed countries in his quest to transform the country’s urban infrastructure. The United States, France, Germany, China and Japan are some of India’s key external partners in this smart cities project. Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu stressed that these smart cities will be equipped with robust IT connectivity and digitization and core infrastructure such as water supply, electricity supply, sanitation, public transport, solid waste management and affordable housing. “We are not just aiming at making our urban landscape fanciful and flashy but the prime objective is to enhance quality of urban life,” said Mr Naidu.

Read More

Tel Aviv Beckons: What India’s public diplomacy means for the region

- by India Writes Network

Even as India faces tough criticism from international observers for having abstained from voting on a recent UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution that condemns Israel’s actions during the July/August 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Israel in October and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intention to visit Tel Aviv in the near future marks a clear shift in the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

Since the establishment of formal diplomatic ties in 1992 the two nations are often thought to be ‘isolated democracies’, as they continue to operate in highly militarised regional neighbourhoods and have a mutual benefit in fighting Islamic terrorism across borders in the Middle East. Strategic relations between the two nations have largely focused on the sale of defence equipment and technology, although agriculture and information technology also form a key aspect of India’s economic and trade relations with Israel. India is the largest buyer of Israeli defence equipment, and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has in the past developed and launched a military satellite for Israel. Similarly, some recent estimates from the Embassy of India in Tel Aviv suggest that bilateral trade between the two countries is set to cross $5 billion in the next few years. In this context, the strengthening of diplomatic ties under the BJP-led government in New Delhi points towards the fact that a more open rapprochement that is already underway.

It is possible to argue that while recent developments might have served to bring India’s strategic relations with Israel into focus, there has been no fundamental change in the relationship. Israel has been a strategic partner for India for the past decade and a more favourable diplomatic climate has presented itself at the most opportune moment for the Narendra Modi government to improve upon what has already been built by previous governments in New Delhi. The same can be argued in the case of India’s position on Palestine. Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, recently spoke in defence of India’s decision to abstain from the UNHRC vote, and pointed out that India is still very firmly in support of the Palestinian cause. It is unclear, however, what aspect of the Palestinian cause has been most vehemently taken up by India at various international forums. More specifically, the occupation of Palestinian territories by Israeli Defence Forces and the grave human rights violations committed by the latter have been referred to as areas of concern by India, but the country has failed to take a firm stance on either issue at the United Nations.

Read More

Blue Economy: India, Seychelles take a leap forward

- by India Writes Network

In a major leap forward for New Delhi’s interests in the strategic Indian Ocean region, India and Seychelles have signed a pact for cooperation on Blue Economy to promote sustainable ocean development in the region. India has decided to gift one more Interceptor Coastguard boat to Seychelles, and formally signed a pact for giving a second Dornier aircraft to the Indian Ocean island nation, a key commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Seychelles in March this year.

“In March, I had announced that we would gift a second Dornier aircraft to Seychelles. I am pleased that we have completed the process quickly and signed the agreement today,” Mr Modi said in a joint media interaction with Seychelles President James Alix Michel in New Delhi on August 25.

“President and I place strong emphasis on Ocean or Blue Economy. I believe, as he does, that we should look at small island countries as large ocean states with vast potential”, said Mr Modi.

“We are honoured to be a partner in providing aircraft, naval vessels and coastal radar systems for strengthening surveillance capacities. Our cooperation in hydrography surveys is extensive and growing,” Mr Modi stressed.

India’s burgeoning cooperation with Seychelles comes against Beijing’s growing forays into the Indian Ocean region, which New Delhi is prone to regard as its backyard.

Read More

India, Germany to focus on strengthening economic cooperation

- by India Writes Network

Ahead of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to New Delhi in October, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is looking to firm up an ambitious agenda to expand economic and strategic ties with Europe’s most powerful economy. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Germany in April 2015, a joint statement issued at the end of the visit had said the two countries have established a robust roadmap for expanding their multi-faceted and mutually-beneficial ties and to further strengthen strategic partnership.

Ms Swaraj who is on a two-day visit to Germany as part of her two-nation visit to Egypt and Germany will hold talks with her German counterpart Frank Walter Steinmeier and a number of other leaders. India and Germany are expected to review their bilateral relationship and focus on expanding their economic relations.

In the joint statement issued between both countries during PM Modi’s visit to Germany, it was decided that both sides would collaborate in areas such as manufacturing, skill development, urban development, environment, railways and renewable energy.

Collaboration in manufacturing is expected to give thrust to the Make in India campaign. Skill development is expected to improve employability of trainees and apprentices. Establishment of a working group on urban development will strengthen bilateral cooperation and also support development of urban planning and infrastructure in India.

Read More

India’s balancing act: V.K. Singh to visit Beijing for World War II Parade

- by India Writes Network

It’s official. India’s Minister of State for External Affairs General V.K. Singh will represent India at China’s World War II Military Parade that commemorates the 70thanniversary of the end of World War II and China’s victory day celebrations over Japan. Around 30 heads of state are expected to be in Beijing on September 3 to attend the high profile event.

These include, among others, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang. This is the first time China is holding a military parade to mark the day and this move is seen by many as China’s intent to showcase its military strength and capabilities.

Seventeen countries are sending 1000 soldiers to march at the parade. India is not, however, sending any military contingent to the Beijing event. India had earlier sent a military contingent to participate in Russia’s commemoration of World War II, which was attended by India’s President Pranab Mukherjee. China had also invited Mr Mukherjee as per protocol but the Indian government, after much internal discussions, decided to send Mr Singh to China as its representative. Informed sources said that India decided to downgrade its representation due to its burgeoning relations with Japan as China’s military parade is widely seen as aimed at expressing anti-Japan sentiment.

Read More

India, Egypt deepen security ties, to focus on IS threat

- by India Writes Network

Amid seething turmoil in the region and the rise of emerging threats, India and Egypt have decided to deepen and diversify their security and counter-terror cooperation.

With the rise of terror groups like ISIS who are spread across the most volatile region in the world, India suggested that the ISIS should be fought in a “determined and collective manner”.

In Cairo, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Egypt’s President Fattah Al-Sisi and her Egyptian counterpart Sameh Hassan Shourky. This is Swaraj’s first visit to Egypt, signaling the Indian government’s focus on revitalizing multifarious relations with Cairo as well as the North Africa region.

President Sisi conveyed his resolve to deepen ties with India and underlined that it was time to encash on the goodwill that the people of the two countries have with each other into something concrete on the ground. “He (President Sisi) said Egypt and India should be working together visibly on issues of common interests to show to the world that we are together on certain issues.” Anil Wadhwa, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, said in Cairo.

Read More

India, Pakistan cancel NSA talks amid slanging match: It’s K word again

- by India Writes Network

It’s a depressingly predictable piece of theatre, and once again it’s the K word that has wrecked the planned talks between national security advisers of the perennially prickly neighbours, India and Pakistan. The much- touted talks between the NSAs of the two estranged neighbours were cancelled after an intense slanging match following Islamabad inviting the Kashmiri separatist leaders to meet Sartaz Aziz in New Delhi. The Modi government drew the red line when it cancelled the foreign secretary-level talks a year ago on grounds of the Pakistani envoy inviting separatist leaders for a meeting. This time round, New Delhi has reinforced the red line with an added conviction.

India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had issued an ultimatum to Pakistan to respond by the midnight of August 23 on continuing talks without Pakistan’s NSA meeting the separatists. By the late hours of August 22, Pakistan responded saying it cannot attend the meet as India was imposing pre- conditions and called off the meeting.

Read More

Swaraj visit: India, Egypt to step economic ties

- by India Writes Network

India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is all set to begin a two-day standalone bilateral visit to Egypt, North Africa’s influential Arab country, on August 24-25. The maiden visit by Swaraj is expected to provide an opportunity to review bilateral relations between both the countries along with promoting various aspects of mutual interests such as combating terrorism. India is the sixth largest trading partner of Egypt apart from being the second largest export destination.
The total bilateral trade between India and Egypt is USD 4.76 billion as of 2014-15 with India’s imports from Egypt being worth USD 1.74 billion and exports to Egypt worth USD 3.02 billion. “We believe that India can play a strong part when Egypt expands its economy and increases its engagement in the region, Africa and Europe,” India’s ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya said. “In addition to politics and economy, there are certain specific areas that both countries would like to have closer cooperation in, including the fields of energy and medicine,” he added

Read More

Sri Lanka: ‘Re-vitalising’ India relations even more after the polls

- by N Sathiya Moorthy

he results of the 17 August parliamentary polls have indicated the continuance of a ‘national government’ of the type that newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena and his chosen Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had put together in January.

Considering that there is also a greater scope and urgent need for re-vitalising Sri Lanka-India relations than ever before, the two nations can now work on restoring the earlier confidence, brick by brick – but with all-round reversals from time to time. How they work on it all could also determine the nature and course of India’s Indian Ocean neighbourhood relations, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ‘re-vitalised’ with his three-nation tour in March this year.

India-Sri Lanka relations are like none other in bilateral relations for both. Going beyond the ‘China angle’ – it used to be the US during the ‘Cold War’ era – the two South Asian neighbours are bound by the ‘ethnic issue’, with constant reverberations in southern Tamil Nadu – often, independent of the party or leader in power at the Centre.

It is one such time again for India and India-Sri Lanka relations. Independent of whoever is in power in Sri Lanka, the nation can breathe easy that the Indian position over war-time ‘accountability issues’ at the UNHRC would not (have to) change at the September session in Geneva. India too would not have to review its position, despite pressure from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Sri Lanka, over larger issues of ‘war-time accountability’ and blame-fixing.

Read More