Communal divides are bad, Economic divides being created can be equally so, with increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of fewer people so that we have a nation split, literally and metaphorically, between the few within gated communities and the majority who cannot step in.
The BJP, time and again, has highlighted how PM Narendra Modi works 24X7 and sleeps for four hours, symptomatic of his due diligence pertaining to work. The idea of overworking is often draped as self-sacrifice, a cultural phenomenon typically revered in Indian society.
I think Jimmy Carter was one of the most decent and honest occupants of the White House who probably was undone by the Washington establishment who always considered him an outsider. His presidency was called a failed one, though in retrospect people feel he did not get the credit due to him.
And lo and behold most of the fringe organizations of Hindutva politics are coming out to oppose Bhagwat. One knows that RSS is a strict disciplinarian organization, and its members do not disobey the commands of its leader. So who are these Senas, Dharma Sansads springing up by a dozen and going against the appeal of Bhagwat?
On the one hand, we can see India pouring its heart out in memory of a life journey of grace. On the other hand, is a path of bitterness, a pulling down of civility and finger-pointing. It is the plain truth that the government delayed in naming a memorial spot so that the last rites for Dr. Singh was per force conducted at a public crematorium.
In my many discussions with him we discussed where the country was going. He felt sad about the present situation and said that this is not the India he recognizes. He said that India is a pluralistic society and the leader has to respect the diversity of opinion, divisive politics will not work, and will be harmful for the country.
In 2008, there was a new visitor to the PM house. A man from village Gah in district Chakwal, Pakistan, crossed the border to meet his old school friend 'Mohna'. He carried soil and water from the village in Punjab for the friend with whom he shared a bench in his school. Ali Raja Mohammad and Manmohan Singh had parted in 1947 and met in 2008. Not only this region but all of South Asia was Dr. Singh's very own.
The Indian rupee is expected to depreciate due to strong dollar policies of the Trump administration compounded by a wider trade deficit in India. The worry about how to increase foreign direct investment will remain. It has been falling for several years. The outflow of capital as well as the flight of rich people to other countries is also a matter of concern. Indians are expected to spend 70 billion dollars on the “import” of education, i.e. on students studying abroad.
For years, Imran Khan and his party have been vocal critics of foreign interference in Pakistan’s internal matters. They’ve consistently defended Pakistan’s sovereignty, opposing any foreign meddling in the country’s political affairs. Yet now, when the PTI finds itself in a political struggle, it is calling on the international community to intervene.
India’s neighbourhood policy can be tweaked by making conditional every foreign aid, technical assistance, bilateral cooperation and multilateral facilitation. Bangladesh is the largest beneficiary of Indian grants and assistance under the Neighbourhood First Policy. Attaching conditionalities—akin to the Chinese BRI loans— can act as a deterrent to any anti-India adventurism
The debate around freebies and promises in a democracy often centers on balancing short-term relief with long-term solutions to societal problems. Often, in these giveaways, economic prudence is a casualty in favour of transactional political advantage.
The share of workers in industry has stagnated for far too long. And so have wages. As per a report of WorkIndia, more than 57 percent of blue-collar jobs in India pay less than 20,000 rupees a month. That is probably justified because of low average productivity.
A strong India is not only about protecting the borders but equally about systems and processes that do not allow companies, particularly giants from foreign shores, to get away with anything less than standards that some of these companies are required to follow in their home countries. Even if the clean up happens, at long last, the other lesson for holding companies to account is yet to be learned.
Allowing neutral arbitration institutions to appoint and administer arbitrators will help to address the challenges of unilateral arbitrator appointment by interested organisations, reduce the additional burden on courts to appoint arbitrators, and eliminate our arbitrators' bias in awards issued by arbitrators appointed by financial institutions.
Indian polity and judiciary have opened a Pandora’s Box which is deepening the religious divides in society. What is the need of the hour? To search for temple underneath every mosque or to build the ‘temples of Modern India’ as defined by Jawaharlal Nehru, “while starting the construction of the Bhakra Nangal Dam to describe scientific research institutes, steel plants, power plants, dams being launched in India after independence to jumpstart scientific and industrial progress.”
There is no denying that the changing numbers have dented the image of the Election Commission of India, and the credibility of the election process itself under the EVM system is increasingly coming under strain. This is a blow to democratic systems, processes and traditions in India.
The LB scheme has been a successful formula which was used in Jharkhand as well and is part of at least a dozen other states which offer cash or kind benefits targeting women, It pays electoral dividends by increasing female voter participation. But what it does to the fiscal situation, and consequent drag on growth, inflation and interest rates as well as future tax burdens is not well examined.
India perceives Russia and China’s push for de-dollarisation to a large extent as ideological and remains hesitant in rallying behind BRICS’ de-dollarisation efforts. With the recent expansion of BRICS, varying national interests of member states will further complicate coordination efforts on de-dollarisation.
If the East India Company used complex mechanisms and took 100 years to seize control and loot a subcontinent, the tech imperialists of today have the power to replay that story with nothing more than code, clicks, and clips that can divide people, break institutions and incite violence.
