News
Making India’s first federated tax effective
Expectations are unrealistically high from the long delayed move to amend the Constitution and levy a common Goods and Service Tax (a value added tax) across the Union and all state governments. Truly, this tax can bind India far better than Bollywood or the All India Services have done thus far.
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India and africa's partnership for access to medicines
Prime Minister Modi’s recently concluded four-nation tour to Africa is primarily regarded as part of his larger energy diplomacy outreach. However, what is often overlooked are the enormous investment opportunities that African markets offer — especially in the midst of stagnating markets elsewhere. The agenda for this visit was centred on two themes: (a) mutual economic interests, and (b) common development aspirations. The pharmaceutical sector presents a meeting point for both goals — of exporting medicines to Africa, as well as creating manufacturing bases in Africa.
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Rising presence of Daesh in India
Until very recently in India, there have been several interpretations of threat perceptions of Daesh or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This was primarily because few Indian Muslims joined the outfit in Syria or Iraq and there has been, so far, no attack conducted by it within the country. As a result, some do not view it as a major threat while there are others who remain wary, particularly considering the outfit’s export of terror ideology worldwide.
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What’s the Real Story in Turkey?
I was in Ahmedabad when the attempted or rather failed ‘coup de tat’ took place in Turkey. I was to speak at a corporate function about India’s national security. However, my hosts requested me to first specifically speak for a few minutes on Turkey because ostensibly most of the audience could not join the dots about what exactly was happening in that country. I readily obliged because that’s a country you can’t fail to know if you have any pretensions like me of being a strategic commentator.
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Indian military has remained committed to democracy
In our much-storied history, which our hyper-nationalists will possibly claim is the most ancient, there has been just one recorded instance where a commander-in-chief of the army overthrew the government of the day and seized power. This issue finds some resonance today in the context of the attempted coup in Turkey. Many ask, could this happen here, although the answer is pretty unambiguous that it cannot and will not.
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Critical time for globalisation
This month marks the 25th year of economic reforms and the beginning of the era of globalisation in India. It has benefited millions and has also resulted in malls full of goods. Many people have managed to get jobs at salaries undreamt of in the past. Thus few would wish to see liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation reversed. Imported fruits to fancy cars, appliances and cosmetics are available in India for those with money.
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The great 21st century data rush
In the digital age, data is currency and information is the energy that drives the 21st century economy. Today, 46.1 percent of the world’s population is online. These 3.4 billion Internet users collectively generate a significant amount of commercial and personal data that can be stored, collated, and analyded. This data is the lifeline that charts users’ online identities: It can also be monetised by Internet service providers, social media platforms, and end user applications.
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Why India must be flexible on FTA with EU
The EU-India FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations have been ongoing for more than nine years. The two-way trade in goods stood at $98.5 billion in 2014-15, and India received $24.91 billion in FDI equity inflows from the European Union (EU) between April 2012 and May 2015. The EU has been India’s largest trading partner and the two-way trade is likely to swell significantly if the parties could firm up the long-pending FTA, officially called the Broad-based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA).
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Antimicrobial resistance a ticking time bomb
It is estimated that by 2050 infections that have become drug resistant will result in a global loss of 10 million lives annually. This chilling revelation was the crux of a report released last month, titled “Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations,” commissioned by the UK government, and led by renowned economist Jim O’Neill.
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Managing the Rise of China and its Collusion with Pakistan
The foremost challenge to working to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific will be to manage the rise of a militarily assertive China that is seeking to achieve a ‘favourable strategic posture’. Having come close to completing its four modernisations, China has discarded Deng Xiaoping’s 24-character strategy to ‘hide our capacity and bide our time’ and has begun to flex its military muscle. China senses the emergence of a security vacuum in the Indo-pacific and is rushing to fill it. India must join the US and other strategic partners, such as Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam, to establish a cooperative security framework for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, for the security of the global commons and to deal with contingencies like those described below. If China is willing to join this security architecture it should be welcomed.
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