India and the World

India’s game-changing move: $500 million for Mauritius

- by India Writes Network

In a game-changing move that provides fresh ballast to New Delhi’s Indian Ocean maritime diplomacy, India has unveiled $500 million as concessional Line of Credit to Mauritius for a host of infrastructure projects as the two countries signed five agreements, including a key pact on ocean economy.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Mauritian counterpart Anerood Jugnauth on March 11 during the second leg of his three-nation visit.

“I consider our security cooperation to be a cornerstone of our strategic partnership. We intend to quickly build the petroleum storage and bunkering facility in Mauritius,” Mr Modi said after the talks.

Mauritius looms large in New Delhi’s enhanced Indian Ocean diplomacy matrix. Mauritius’ then Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam was the only non-SAARC leader to be invited for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi in May 2014.

Mr Modi has bene honoured by being invited as the chief Guest at the National Day celebrations of Mauritius on March 12, a historic day that also marks the launch of the salt satyagraha by Mahatma Gandhi 85 years ago. In the morning, he has extended his wishes to the citizens of Mauritius.

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India and Mauritius: Oceanic Partners

- by Manish Chand

It’s a multi-dimensional relationship that remains embedded in a rich shared past, but continues to pulsate in the living present and points to a shining future. Entwined by history, culture, democratic values and intimate ancestral ties, the spirit and sounds of India are omnipresent and resonant in Mauritius. From the Aparvasi Ghat, where the first batch of Indian indentured labourers came more than 180 years ago to work on sugar plantations to the shining Cyber Tower in Port Louis, the journey and transformation of Mauritius into a modern, confident and resurgent nation is organically linked with Indians and the India Story.
It’s a multi-dimensional relationship that remains embedded in a rich shared past, but continues to pulsate in the living present and points to a shining future. Entwined by history, culture, democratic values and intimate ancestral ties, the spirit and sounds of India are omnipresent and resonant in Mauritius. From the Aparvasi Ghat, where the first batch of Indian indentured labourers came more than 180 years ago to work on sugar plantations to the shining Cyber Tower in Port Louis, the journey and transformation of Mauritius into a modern, confident and resurgent nation is organically linked with Indians and the India Story.

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Indian Ocean Diplomacy: Seychelles-India Connect

- by Manish Chand

Think of Seychelles, and India always looms large in this enchanting archipelago country better known for beauty pageants, honeymooners and luxury holidays. Trade, Training, Technology, Temples and yes, Tata buses and tortoises… These are multiple strands that form the exquisite mosaic of contemporary relations between India and Seychelles, the 115-island archipelago country of haunting beauty. Fittingly, Seychelles forms the first destination of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation voyage (March 10-14) to littoral states of the Indian Ocean, which also includes Mauritius and Sri Lanka. It’s an epic diplomatic odyssey as this is the first time an Indian prime minister will be travelling to three littoral countries and underlines the growing salience of the Indian Ocean in India’s diplomatic-strategic matrix and calculations. Prime Minister’s Modi trip will underscore Seychelles’ unique place in this configuration.

There have been many presidential visits from India to this African littoral nation, the last one being President Pratibha Patil’s trip to Seychelles in 2012, but this will be the first prime ministerial visit to this strategically located country after a gap of more than three decades. Mrs Indira Gandhi was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Victoria in 1981.

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Oceanic Diplomacy: High stakes in Modi’s Indian Ocean yatra

- by Manish Chand

Amid the unfolding great game in the Indian Ocean and China’s increased assertiveness in the region, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads on a three-nation diplomatic odyssey to key littoral states, including Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka.

It’s a first of sorts as the Indian prime minister travels to three oceanic neighbours which are bound to India by history, shared culture and extensive defence ties.

Maritime security will be the overarching theme of Mr Modi’s three-nation visit as he seeks to bolster maritime cooperation with the three countries, which are crucial in India’s strategic scheme to secure sea lanes of communication (SLOC) in the Indian Ocean against attacks by pirates and terrorists.

The prime minister’s outreach to the country’s Indian Ocean neighbours will be closely watched in the region. Beijing will be specially watching the outcomes emerging from these summit meetings as it has relentlessly expanded its economic ties and influence in the Indian Ocean littoral countries New Delhi thinks to be falling in its sphere of influence.

But as Indian diplomats point out, India is not in a containment game, but is only looking to project the Indian Ocean as zone of peace and an ocean of opportunity through a closer web of economic and transport connectivity projects.

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Swaraj in Sri Lanka: Transforming ties and China factor

- by India Writes Network

The ongoing two-day visit of India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is the third bilateral high-level exchange in two months, and underlines a new vitality in multifarious relations between the two neighbours.
India’s foreign minister’s visit is aimed at setting the stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to the island nation next week. The visit is the first by any Indian prime minister since Rajiv Gandhi’s trip in 1987. Mr Modi will be on a multi- city tour in Sri Lanka, visiting the Jaffna province as well as addressing the Sri Lankan parliament.
In the days to come, Sri Lanka shall have to do some tightrope walking to keep the investment flowing in from China, while tilting towards India. Amid the shifting geopolitics of the region, one can safely say that the new government in Colombo has begun course correction by underlining the centrality of New Delhi to Colombo’s national interests even as it pursues its economic ties with Beijing, albeit in a possibly attenuated manner.

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Defying ban by India, BBC airs Nirbhaya documentary

- by India Writes Network

Defying the pressure from Indian government to censor the controversial documentary on the December 16 gang rape, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired ‘India’s Daughter’ on March 4 for a global audience, saying that the documentary had handled the issue “responsibly”. However, in a concession, the BBC said it would not telecast the documentary in India.
The documentary is based on the traumas of a young physiotherapist, Nirbhaya (a pseudonym given to the victim), who was savagely gang-raped, tortured and killed by six men on a moving bus in the capital Delhi on December 16, 2012. It has ignited a blazing controversy in India for its inclusion of the interview of Mukesh Singh, one of the rapists.
It’s a chilling interview to watch: there is not a trace of remorse as he speaks about teaching a lesson to girls who wear wrong clothes and go to discos. “A decent girl won’t roam around at nine o’clock at night. A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy,” he says. “Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes. About 20% of girls are good.”

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Budget without many surprises

- by India Writes Network

Clothes truly make a man. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s budget, presented to Parliament today, turned out to be constructed the manner in which he was dressed — a Modi jacket over a shirt, trousers and chappals (flip flops) for shoes. Nothing objectionable of course and yet unexceptional.

West Bengal and Bihar, the states which go to the polls soon, will receive special central assistance in addition to the increased allocation they have already got per the recommendations of the Finance Commission. This explains the renewed bonhomie between the BJP and Nitish Kumar and Didi (Mamta Banerjee) respectively, Chief Ministers of Bihar and West Bengal.

Fiscal devolution kick starts Cooperative Federalism
The biggest plus from the budget is implementation of the spirit of “cooperative federalism” by transferring 42% of Union tax proceeds to states from around 32% earlier, per the recommendations of the Finance Commission.

Transfer of an additional 20% as central grants will further boost total transfers to states to 62% of Union tax revenues. This “big bang reform” in fiscal devolution sets the stage for State governments to take direct responsibility of the functions allocated to them under the constitution. They can no longer plead a lack of resources.

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India, Pakistan renew talks, terror, border peace top agenda

- by India Writes Network

India and Pakistan renewed their engagement after months of frosty tensions as Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar conveyed New Delhi’s concerns on terrorism and 26/11 justice even as the two subcontinental neighbours agreed to narrow down differences to find common ground and map the way forward.
Mr Jaishaknkar held wide-ranging talks with his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhary, seven months after India had cancelled foreign secretary-level talks on account of Pakistan’s envoy’s meeting with Kashmiri separatist leaders.
Mr Jaishankar struck a cautiously optimistic note on the future trajectory of this accident-prone relationship.
“Naturally, my visit provided an opportunity to discuss our bilateral relations. We engaged on each other’s concerns and interests in an open manner. We agreed to work together to find common ground and narrow differences,” Mr Jaishankar said after the talks.

India’s top diplomat stressed that he “reiterated our known concerns on cross border terrorism, including on the Mumbai case.”

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