Achievement Tracking - Modi 2.0 Govt - No Discussions

[Atri]

How govt fares in terms of growth and policies in its own words

http://www.business-standard.com/articl ... 551_1.html

On the completion of one year of the Modi government at the centre the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley highlighted that his government is one that has put decisiveness and transparency on forefront in face of obstructionism. Here are the highlights of how the government ranks itself on the parameters of policy making and economic growth.

Economic growth

Government has controlled the fiscal deficit and improved its quality at 4.1 per cent. India has potential of growing at double digit.
The opposition must realize that by obstructing key bills it is hampering the journey of India to a 10% growth rate


Taxation

No policy decision by the government has led to any major controversy. Issue of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) on Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) is a legacy issue that was resolved by the government in the union budget 2015. For past cases have constituted a committee for legality of issue.
Want to make corporate tax rate globally competitive thus phasing out exemptions
Simplifying income tax return forms


Bills

GST bill passed in Lok Sabha referred to select committee, committed to meeting the April 1st deadline even if it is cutting it too fine.
Priority is to get the GST bill and Land Bill cleared in coming sessions


Black Money and Benami

Have passed a stringent law on tackling black money the rules under the Bill as well as compliance window would be notified soon.
Benami Bill has also been introduced in Lok Sabha


Social Security and Subsidy

Have opened 15 crore under the Jandhan yojana. Under the recently launched insurance social security schemes 7.5 crore individuals have already enrolled.
Subsidy transfers through direct benefit transfer have helped in curbing leakages to quite an extent

[member_29058]

http://www.oneindia.com/feature/one-yea ... icle-tweet

The appointment of the NSA: It is a known fact that there has been a lot of trouble brewing within the IB and the R&AW. Lack of coordination led to major attacks in the country which included the 26/11 strikes as well. There were ego clashes and the information that the IB had never would reach the R&AW and vice versa.

In Shiv Shankar Menon, the former NSA, one saw an extremely diplomatic approach. After all he was a diplomat of an IAS cadre. However Modi decided to go ahead an appoint Ajit Doval who spent all his life in the Intelligence Bureau and he understood the nitty grittys of the security set up. Today there is a great amount of sanity in the spy agencies of India. All important decisions and inputs go through the NSA and due to this coordination the intelligence agencies are able to ascertain which intelligence is actionable and which is not.

Over the past couple of months the sharing of intelligence went down to each and every department. State level intelligence officials, the officials in the army, navy and coast guard all came on board and the sharing of inputs became mandatory. This has led to coordinated action which has helped thwart attempts being made by enemy nations in quick time.

The Burdwan blasts:

Although this was initially reported as a minor blast in a house in a remote corner of West Bengal, the investigations that followed showed how grave the threat was. It was not a run of the mill module of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh which was being run at Burdwan. The plan was to attack Bangladesh. Had this module not been busted it would have been an embarrassing scenario for India. The country would have been blamed for facilitating terrorists in a bid to attack a foreign land. The same allegation that Pakistan gets to hear every now and then. Although there was a lot of opposition from West Bengal about the centre dealing with the probe, the government was adamant and handed it over to the NIA. To convey that the blast had major repercussions, the NSA himself visited Burdwan. This was a loud message to the state of West Bengal. It also augured well with Bangladesh which had expressed concern about this module. The NIA too realized the seriousness of this attack and has probed this case in record time. Remember the NIA did not get to the best of starts as a lot of evidence was destroyed and the local police never cooperated at first.

Beating the Indian Mujahideen:

The Indian Mujahideen was one of the deadliest home grown outfits that India has seen till date. They struck at will and brought a nation to a stand still. Today it could be said that they have by and large been neutralized. While one must remember that the leader of the outfit, Yasin Bhatkal was arrested during the previous regime in Delhi, the new government ensured that most of their modules were busted and this in turn made it very difficult for them to re-group. However the government is well aware that this is an ongoing operation and at no point in time can the security forces take it easy. In addition to this the government has also ensured that groups such as the SIMI which have been making come back attempts have not been entirely successful. The key to this was not to go on a witch hunt for the sake of closing cases. Previous governments have targeted innocents and this has done more harm than good to the cause of fighting terror.

The boat from Pakistan:

In the month of December 2014, the coast guard intercepted an explosive laden boat from Pakistan. Before they could arrest the inmates of the boat, they decided to blow themselves up. This was questioned by many, but in reality it was a bonafide operation and a threat was thwarted. What is important in this operation is that the various agencies worked in tandem with each other and the information was passed on in quick time. This led to a quick interception of the boat. Similar coordination was not visible during the run up to the 26/11 attack and this cost the nation dear. The coast guard also recently intercepted another boat from Pakistan. This time around the boat was laden with drugs. While this is a one off incident it sends a message to the drug lords of Pakistan that the coast guard is awake.

The ISIS threat:

The manner in which the government has handled the ISIS threat has been appreciated and also criticized. There are a mindless few who feel that anyone trying to join the ISIS must be brought back from the airport and shot dead. There are many others who also feel that they should be allowed to leave the country. The government instead took a very different approach to the problem. When the ISIS tracking by the Intelligence Bureau began last year, it was found that there were a large number of people who were trying to join the ISIS. By September 2014 the number was 300 and each one of them was placed under surveillance. The IB also launched Operation Chakravyuh through which ISIS sympathizers were tracked. When they tried leaving the country, they were caught at the airport and brought back. Once back the elders of the family were also brought in and these youth counseled about the ill-effects of joining the ISIS. The results were clear and from a huge number of 300 in September 2014 it has come down to a meager 10 to 20 in March 2015.

First and foremost the government knows that it is not that easy bringing Dawood back to India. He is a strategic asset in Pakistan and the ISI would do its best to protect him. On a lighter note since terrorists in Pakistan are for sale, India could strike a deal with Pakistan just as the Americans did with Osama. However on a serious note, the Dawood issue is being handled differently today. The Enforcement Directorate in coordination with other agencies is trying to track down Dawood's finances in a bid to make him financially irrelevant.

[Yagnasri]

Notification issued to clarify the administrative powers of the LG in Delhi done in record time by MHA is reflective of the efficiency and decisiveness of the GOI now.

[Hari Seldon]

[member_29058]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 811357.cms
Swachh Bharat: Modi's promise of cleaning Varanasi doesn't appear to be an empty one

He wasn't exaggerating when he called it "dirty work". Solid waste, liquid waste, paan stains, silt and garbage from households are as conspicuous in Varanasi as its temples and ghats that lead to the banks of the river Ganga.

Cleaning up and beautifying India's spiritual capital was one of Modi's biggest electoral promises to the people of Varanasi. A year later, it doesn't appear to be an empty one.

"Look how Assi Ghat (the southernmost of the 84 ghats of Varanasi which is known to accommodate over 20,000 people during festivals like Shivratri) looks today — as clean as a new one. Modi is here and changes are visible.

"There is a demand from certain circles that Varanasi should be made a union territory so that it can be under the direct control of the Centre. Expectations are really high." He's hopeful, and points to Assi Ghat as the basis for that hope. "A big part of the (Assi) Ghat that was till now buried under silt has re-emerged. There's hope that there will be changes in Varanasi — something that most of us had never imagined till the PM entered Varanasi," adds the professor. "Work is on in full swing," pipes in an enthusiastic state BJP spokesperson Ashok Pande. And no prizes for guessing his frame of reference — "Visit the Assi Ghat and see for yourself," he says pointing southwards.

Meanwhile Pranjal Yadav, Varanasi's district magistrate, has been moving in tandem by initiating a cleanup of another kind — encroachments from congested roads. Rubbishing claims that there is friction between the Centre and the state for funds or projects, he says the roles of the two are well defined. "Land has been acquired for the ring road that will help decongest the city. Work will start this month and the project should be ready by April 2017; all the hanging wires of the city will be covered underground under the Integrated Power Development Scheme; streetlights will have LEDs; and the capacity of liquid waste management will be increased."

The hope over Varanasi would have been unthinkable a year ago. Local civic authorities had almost given up on this city of 15 lakh people with a population density of 2,400 persons per square km — till the point Modi entered Varanasi.

Scepticism of course can be found in generous doses, and from predictable quarters. "Third-grade material is being used for all the construction work. Besides, most of the work is the initiative of the state government and the Nagar Nigam. Where is Modi's contribution in all this," asks Congress' Ajai Rai who had contested the elections against Modi in 2014 and is a five-time MLA..

Modi's apparent proactivity has had an unintended ruboff effect, which Radhika Ranjan Tiwari, a priest at the Vishwanath temple, spells out: "There's a chain reaction. After the PM came to Varanasi, the CM [Akhilesh Yadav] too has become more active." The healthy competition it seems is working well for the wellbeing of this ancient city. "Many of the projects that were stalled since ages got approved recently."

On his own, he may not have achieved much as of now but his entry in Varanasi has galvanised many NGOs, global organisations and individuals to participate for the uplift of the city."

[chaanakya]

Black Money Bill with more teeth gets Rajya Sabha approval

New Delhi, May 13:

The government maintained that all efforts will be made to bring black money stashed in tax havens back to the country as Parliament passed the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Bill, 2015 on Wednesday.

The Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha, was returned by the Rajya Sabha after a discussion.

The Bill, brought as a money Bill, provides imposition of a 30 per cent tax on undisclosed foreign income or assets of the previous assessment year. Replying to a three-hour discussion on the Bill, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Bill will help the Centre combat the menace of black money. “The world is no longer willing to tolerate tax havens which thrive in secrecy,” he said.

Jaitley maintained that the new law will not cover those having amounts equivalent to ₹5 lakh in bank accounts abroad, which may belong to students or those working there.

“The compliance window will provide an opportunity to people to come clean by declaring overseas assets and paying tax and penalty totalling 60 per cent,” he added. The Finance Minister said it is a tax which is being imposed on an asset or an income outside the country.
....

....

CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury urged the Centre to take up the issue with other governments.

“You are a government with 56-inch chest. You should take up the issue with other governments,” he said.

Switzerland begins naming Indians, foreigners being probed at home for tax evasion

PTI, Berne| Updated: May 25, 2015 22:24 IST

Two Indian women figure among scores of foreign nationals with Swiss bank accounts, whose names have been made public by Switzerland in its official gazette for being probed in their respective countries.

Making public these names, the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (FTA) has asked the two Indians to file an appeal within 30 days before the Federal Administrative Court if they do not want their details to be shared with the Indian authorities under their 'mutual assistance' treaty on tax matters.

Read: Govt presses Switzerland for information on Indian accounts, eyes pact

However, no further details -- other than their dates of birth -- were made public for the two "Indian nationals" --Sneh Lata Sawhney and Sangita Sawhney.

Similar is the case for other foreign nationals including the British, Spanish and Russians. However, in case of American and Israeli citizens, their full names have been withheld and they have been identified by their initials and dates of birth.

At least 40 such 'final notices' have been published in the Swiss Federal Gazette so far this month, while more such names are expected to be published going forward.

The alleged stashing of wealth by Indians in Swiss banks has been a matter of great debate in India.

The Indian government has been pushing the Swiss authorities for a long time to share information on the suspected tax evaders, while Switzerland has shared some details in cases where India has been able to provide some independent evidence of suspected tax evasion by Indian clients of Swiss banks.

While there was no immediate reply to queries mailed to the FTA spokesperson in this regard, these names are being published in the Swiss Federal Gazette in the backdrop of the Swiss government being flooded with requests on suspected black money hoarders in Swiss banks from various countries including India.

The notices for the two 'Indian nationals' and many others are dated May 12, while other such notices are dated May 19 and May 5.

As per these notices, the concerned persons can file an appeal before the Federal Administrative Court within 30 days, while providing the reasons and evidence in their support.

Through these gazette notices, the Swiss FTA is also looking to give the concerned persons an opportunity to resort to legal remedies. These are the persons about whom foreign governments are requesting information.

As per a report in the 'Sonntagszeitung' weekly, the Swiss authorities have been "inundated with requests for assistance" and the nations that wanted to know details about their suspected tax-dodging citizens included "France, Germany, Russia, India and half a dozen other countries".

"Now, the Authority will publish the names of those affected in the Federal Gazette, which is available to everyone on the internet," it said, while adding that those being named may include "well-known personalities".

As per the report, banks do not have much interest in contacting such customers as many no more hold the accounts.

It further added that questions have been raised about requests made by India and Germany being based on stolen data.

The report, however, quoted FTA's Alexandre Dumas as saying, "We are never sure if they are stolen data. However, there is the principle of faith".

Committing full support to India's fight against the black money menace, Switzerland last week had said its Parliament would soon consider changes in laws to look into the possibility of sharing information in cases being probed on the basis of stolen data of Swiss bank accounts.

Switzerland's economic affairs minister Johann Schneider Ammann during his India visit on May 15 said that the Swiss government was sensitive to the fact that the issue of black money was very important for India and needed to be resolved.

"Switzerland has decided to follow international standards, including those framed by OECD, in sharing information and providing assistance to foreign countries probing such cases, but we have to ask our Parliament to make changes in our laws," he said.

Indian Parliament has recently passed a new black money law under which those found to be stashing illicit funds in foreign locations, including Swiss banks, would face strict penal action, including up to ten years in jail and a penalty of 90% of funds in addition to 30% tax levy.

However, a one-time 'compliance window' will be provided before the law comes into force and this would let the persons with foreign assets to come clean by payment of 30% tax and 30% penalty

[M Joshi]

Very nice info graphic page from Namo's own website showing 20 points of difference between last year & this year.

#SaalEkShuruaatAneek
http://www.narendramodi.in/oneyear/then-and-now#page1

Although a high end CT but notice the colour of "then" & "now", when generally it's the opposite.

[Prem]

[Singha]

New Delhi: The highest ever addition in electricity generation capacity in the past one year has led to power deficit in the country dipping to an all time low of 3.6%, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.

Highlighting the achievements of Narendra Modi government in power and coal sector, he told at a press conference that 22,566 mega-watt (MW) of generation capacity was added in last one year.

The highest ever addition in electricity generation capacity in the past one year has led to power deficit in the country dipping to an all time low of 3.6%, Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday.

Also, there has been highest ever increase in transmission line capacity of 22,100 circuit kilometres and highest ever increase in sub-station capacity of 66,554 MW, he said. "Power deficit at 3.6% in India is the lowest in its history."

Goyal said state-owned Coal India Ltd produced a record 32 million tons of dry fuel and is looking at producing 100 million tons by 2020.

Future plans of the government include raising renewable energy capacity by more than five times to 175,000 MW by 2022, five ultra-mega power plants totalling 20,000 MW, reduction in peak load shortages through revival of stranded gas-based power plants, Rs 1.09 lakh crore investment in sub-transmission and distribution and Rs 1 lakh crore of New transmission projects to be bid out in the current year.

"Clean energy will be prioritised with 25 solar parks of about 100 MW each planned and a Rs 38,000 crore green energy corridor being set up to transmit renewable energy," he added.

[ramana]

From TOI article by Head of BJP Foreign Affairs Cell

July 16, 2009 can be considered as one of the most disastrous day for India as far as foreign policy is concerned. A joint statement was issued on that day by then PM Dr Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. In that statement, Manmohan Singh committed two most significant blunders.

For the first time in India-Pakistan relations since the threat of Pakistan-borne terrorists emerged, Prime Minister Singh delinked India-Pakistan composite dialog from terrorism. It's noteworthy that India had in past taken a consistent stand after Mumbai attack that no composite dialog was possible till Pakistan dismantle anti-India terrorist network from its soil.

In a complete reversal of this policy, the joint statement says, "Both Prime Ministers recognized that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed. Prime Minister Singh said that India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including all outstanding issues."

The second blunder committed in the same statement by recognizing Baluchistan separatism issue in India-Pakistan dialog. Pak had always accused India of supporting separatism in Baluchistan, which India had rightly denied. But by mentioning this issue in joint statement, Pakistan asserted it as India's acceptance to baseless allegations. While UPA spin doctors tried to save the face by describing it as "poorly drafted statement", the damage was already done.

Then, in February 2011, comes a worst joke in in diplomatic history of India when then external affairs minister, SM Krishna read the speech of Portuguese foreign minister at UN meeting.

While, everyone was sure that such blunders would not be repeated during BJP government, no one thought that overall foreign policy would be given so much importance by Prime Minister Modi. The government that had come to power largely on the plank of development and governance was not considered to go strong on foreign affairs.

Added to this was US visa issue, a letter by 62 Indian MPs to US govt to continue to deny visa to Modi (a unprecedented and equally deplorable step indeed), anti-Modi propaganda by influential Western media (The Economist formally endorsed Rahul Gandhi as PM before last year's elections and continues to show its anti-Modi bias even today).

What the observers were missing was the fact that even before he became Gujarat chief minister, Modi not only travelled US and UK, but astutely observed the functioning of societies, government and administration during these visits. Later on, as a chief minister, he interacted with NRIs frequently, kept himself updated with the latest global developments and also met diplomats from various countries. Vibrant Gujarat summits provided several global players and diplomats a platform to meet Modi and closely observe his governance model.

For example, Japan and Canada are official partners of Vibrant Gujarat for last several years. He went to Israel in 2006, to Japan in 2007 and again in July 2012 for four days, as the first CM to be invited by the Government of Japan. He visited China for five days in November 2011, where he was accorded unprecedented importance and the highest level of protocol to any CM, beyond the established protocol. Later, after victory in Gujarat assembly poll in November 2012, EU ambassadors met Modi in January 2013 over a lunch hosted by German ambassador Michael Steiner.

Therefore, it was naive to say that Modi was unaware of foreign policy issues when he was elected as PM. He has proved his deep insight in the same on very first day by inviting leaders of Saarc countries for his swearing-in ceremony. Since then, foreign affairs initiatives are considered as one of the most talked about success stories of Modi government.

First and most important achievement of PM Modiji's foreign policy initiatives is that India has gained a central place on world stage. May it be presence of President Obama on Republic Day, India's partnership with Germany in Hannover Messe, his meeting with Israel PM Netanyahu in New York, everything symbolizes increased importance world leaders are giving to India and PM Modi. A classic example is a commentary by Yair Rosenberg in Tablet Magazine titled, "The Most Important Thing Netanyahu Did in New York Wasn't at the UN. It was meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi". When was the last time the heads of any developed country and Indian PM have two bi-lateral meetings, one in India and other in their respective countries, in a span of 12 months? Not only two meetings with President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, now Chancellor Markel will visit India in October as a follow up of PM Modi's Germany visit in May.

The second most important aspect is addressing India's security concerns. Last October, PM Modi frankly discussed India's food security concerns with President Obama while discussing trade facilitation. It was followed by a major victory by Indian negotiators at WTO, where India's stand of selling food grains to needy section of society at discounted price was accepted by WTO. And it was done, as stressed by Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha "We have accomplished this without any concessions, compromise or new conditions."

Similarly, the speed with which Rafale deal was concluded by PM Modi and President Hollande shows that Indian PM has very clear priorities on defence related issues. There are already reports in media on possible signing pact with Israel on joint development and production of medium range surface to air missiles (MRSAM). His visits to Mynmar, Fiji, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and visit of Vietnamese PM to India last October is also largely viewed as a focused initiative to address mutual security concerns in Asean and pacific regions.

On the energy security front, India has signed a very significant deal with Canada by which Canada will supply more than three thousand tonnes of Uranium to Indian nuclear power reactors over next five years. Similar civil nuclear deal was also signed between Australia and India during PM Modi's visit to Australia last September.

Enhanced trade and business cooperation is an integral part of every foreign visit of PM Modi. The visits to Japan, China, South Korea, US, Canada and its active participation in Hannover trade fair and proactive push for "Make in India" campaign is surely yield positive results in the near future in terms of enhanced investments in the country.

In a process, he could develop great personal chemistry with several world leaders. Unscheduled visit to Martin Luther King Memorial along with Barak Obama, Xi Jinping visiting Ahmedabad and Modi visiting Xi'an, Canadian PM Harper accompanying Modiji throughout three days of the visit, there are many examples.

Reviving and strengthening civilizational ties is an integral part of PM Modi's foreign policy vision. He could effortless connect with Xi Jinping by Buddhist heritage at his birthplace, Vadnagar and Xi'an, hometown of Xi Jinping. His visit to Naguleswaram temple in Jaffna, oldest Gurudwara and temple in Vancouver (along with Canadian PM Harper) also signifies the same.

Engagement with diaspora therefore is an important aspect of foreign policy under BJP government. Grand reception accorded by Indian diaspora to PM Modi in US, Australia, France, Mauritius and Canada are simply historical. These events have reenergized NRI community, strengthening their ties with their country of origin and enhanced their stature in their country of residence. One of the most significant events was of course in Shanghai, where more than five thousand Indians gathered to welcome PM Modi, first of its kind in the Chinese history.

On the other hand, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj visited more than twenty countries, including many, East Asia, Middle East and SAARC countries. Another most important global element is proactively extending helping hand to global community at an hour of crisis, may it be rescue mission at Yemen, where VK Singh has shown his leadership qualities or Nepal earthquake.

Our MEA and consulates are always criticized for their indifferent attitude towards our citizens and NRI. There is marked change in this attitude. Ex-spokesperson Mr Akbaruddin used to respond to even small queries on twitter. NRI community has narrated several positive experiences of consulates on social media. This all show a marked change in the culture of MEA.

On 25th May, Indian couple was returning from Germany to India, when wife suffered massive cardiac arrest in flight. Flight took emergency landing in Teheran. Unfortunately she was already dead by then. Someone tweeted it to Sushma Swaraj and talked to her office. Within no time, Indian embassy official went to the spot and Sushma Swaraj updated it on twitter. And all that happened on a Sunday.

In short, this government is chartering a path of "inspired diplomacy" where in India's just position on global scene is re-established, role of diaspora is re-refined, India has shown leadership during humanitarian crisis and civilizational connections are revived.

(Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale is the in charge of BJP's foreign affair cell)

[Hari Seldon]

Even the matter-of-fact announcement pf this v important symbolic and extra-symbolic constitutes an achievement, IMHO.

[SwamyG]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/ ... XP20150530

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is determined to move more than 100,000 people living near coalfields in eastern India to new homes, making it easier to douse underground fires that have burned for a century and mine huge reserves of premium coal.

Reviving output from India's nationalized coal sector has been one of Modi's most tangible achievements during his first year in office, one that he hopes will secure continuous power to all and eat into an annual coal import bill of $15 billion.

The glowing coals and rising smoke date back to 1916, a quarter of a century after private firms began to mine the field. India nationalized most coal assets in the 1970s.

According to experts, those firms failed to backfill mines after digging, exposing them to the open air and allowing fires to start by spontaneous combustion.

Bootleggers who used abandoned mine areas made things worse, because some failed to put out fires they lit to run the stills.

Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL), the Coal India unit which controls the Jharia field, estimates fires have already devoured about 37 million tonnes of coal and blocked access to 2 billion tonnes more, theoretically worth $220 billion.

BCCL accounts for about 7 percent of Coal India's output and has projected growth of 54 percent to 53 million tonnes in five years, according to a company document seen by Reuters.

Its success will help decide how close Coal India gets to its ambitious target of output of 1 billion tonnes by 2019/20.

[SwamyG]

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/ ... 843264.ece

The contact was done at considerable domestic political expense for Hasina, as she was the only leader of a Muslim-majority country to breach his diplomatic isolation. But, the calculated risk has apparently paid off.

The relationship has since become the mainstay of Modi Government’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy, with his key aides led by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval staying focused on the Eastern border.

The former spymaster, who had identified infiltration from Bangladesh as India’s biggest security challenge, has been the driving force for the revived partnership, especially the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and its fallout on improving the security cooperation.

[chaanakya]

[Hari Seldon]

Modi govt to reinstall Veer Savarkar's plaque at Andaman jail

[Hari Seldon]

Narendra Modi government booted out 460 leaders from Lutyens bungalows

New Delhi: Over 460 leaders have been forced out of their Lutyens bungalows in the Narendra Modi government's first year, including the sons of two former Prime Ministers, the rapid-fire ousters earning Venkaiah Naidu the "eviction man" label.

But it has not been easy for the Union urban development minister to accomplish what his officials described as a "record".

While 429 former ministers and MPs were sent notices to vacate, only 44 complied. Naidu then went beyond tough talk, issuing eviction orders against 380 of them.

However, a small group of 37 stayed put. They included the sons of former Prime Ministers Chandra Shekhar and Charan Singh. Neeraj Shekhar and Ajit Singh had to be locked out of their houses, their belongings emptied out on the lawns.

Some others, like Lalu Prasad who did not budge for years, were booted out this February. The RJD chief had been allotted a Type VIII bungalow - one of the largest in the VIP enclave - in 2002 by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government when he was a Rajya Sabha MP, and had been living there after he became railway minister in the UPA regime.

But the former Bihar chief minister didn't leave even after losing his ministerial berth in UPA-II and disqualification as MP in September 2013 following his conviction in a fodder scam case.

While officials of Naidu's ministry say he is only doing his job, many UPA MPs are unhappy. They contrasted Naidu's aggressive stance with the Congress-led government that had allowed several leaders to stay on - while Lalu Prasad was given a year's extension, Naidu had himself stayed on in his Type VIII bungalow for 10 years, even after the BJP lost power in 2004.

"The Congress had a long tradition of not implementing the rules so strongly," said a Congress MP.

Another party MP, Sushmita Dev, said following the rulebook was "good" but asked Naidu to recall how many BJP leaders had vacated their houses in 2004. "Naidu himself should be asked this question."

Lok Sabha House Committee chairperson, the BJP's Arjun Meghwal, said the government was only following a Supreme Court order to remove such squatters.

Stay for Soni, Selja

Delhi High Court today stayed orders served last week on Congress Rajya Sabha MPs Kumari Selja and Ambika Soni asking them to vacate their bungalows by June 10 and move to smaller quarters. The court asked the Centre to specify whether their Type VIII bungalows had been allotted from the Rajya Sabha pool.

The Telegraph, Kolkata

[Hari Seldon]

Tourist arrivals with e-visa jump over 10 times in January-May 2015 (ET)

Top 10 Countries that availed e-Tourist Visa in May 2015

1. USA - 37.82%

2. Germany - 9.35%

3. Australia - 8.95%

4. Russian Federation - 5.85%

5. Republic of Korea - 4.30%

6. UAE - 3.53%

7. Mexico - 3.16%

8. Ukraine - 3.01%

9. Japan - 2.89%

10. Singapore - 2.43%

[M Joshi]

Success stories of “Make In India” campaign – Part 1

Electronics

Foxconn, the manufacturer of Apple’s iPhones has announced plans for creating 10-12 facilities in India, which will include factories and data centers. Foxconn expects to sign the first contract by the end of 2015. That Foxconn chose India following various issues it faced in its Chinese facilities, bolsters the “Make in India” campaign. The advantages the arrival of a big company to the country can be manifold.

Foxconn’s arrival can trigger the arrival of companies along its supply chain and also help to multiply the indirect jobs created due to this. There have already been reports of Oppo mobiles starting its manufacturing plant by August this year. ZTE Corporation, another Chinese telecom major, has completed its recce to set up its manufacturing facility in India. With e-business on the rise, there are plenty of other players waiting on the wings to explore the large market. Another Chinese mobile handset maker Phicomm has also committed to invest $100mn in the next 3 years to market its products and at the same time, they are exploring to setting up a manufacturing facility here.



Automobiles

Mercedes Benz has brought into the “Make in India” program in two different areas. Firstly, in the luxury car segments, it has decided to manufacture more of its components in India – thus increasing the localization of its new model C220 CDI to 60%. Secondly, Mercedes Benz has also decided to manufacture its luxury buses in India, to be exported to Africa and South East Asian markets. The trials have already begun and full-fledged exports will start from early 2016.

Competition for low cost manufacturing cannot be underestimated. Following Mercedes’s lead, its German competitor BMW has also decided to increase its localization to 50%. BMW has already signed deals with approximately 20 companies who supply its components. Volvo is also now in the exploratory stage of exporting its range of buses to other markets. Renault, the french automobile major, has also improved localization of its KWID model to 98% – the KWID is expected to be launched later this year. The US behemoth, Ford, has also committed to invest Rs 4000 to Rs 5000cr for R&D, in its Chennai facility.



Defense

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea will work with Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Vizag to build warships in India. Currently, the time duration from the point of order to delivery takes around 6 years. With this collaboration, this gap is expected to fall to 2.5 years. Though in very early stages of discussion, HHI has indicated that the objective is to outsource the manufacturing of small and medium size ships to India. The initial understanding was completed during PM Modi’s recent visit to South Korea.

Another South Korean major, Samsung, has also agreed to build LNG tankers with Kochi Shipyard. Another decision made recently was that Goa shipyard will construct 12 minesweepers for the Indian navy at a cost of 1 billion USD. Gurgaon based Sun Group, is in discussion with Russia, to manufacture 200 Kamov Ka 226 light helicopters in Punjab. The German and US defense ministers were in India recently to push sale of their products and there have been news reports that India will engage with them, only if there is a “Make in India” component in the deal. Reliance Infrastructure is in discussion with officials in Russia to explore opportunity to build nuclear submarines and stealth warships in India, along with other partners.



Railways

Recently, Indian Railways has invited bids by international suppliers for the procurement and manufacture of 15 train sets. Two train sets will be imported, where as the reminder will need to be manufactured in India – which will result in 40 coaches to be imported and 275 coaches will be manufactured in India. The whole project is estimated to be worth around Rs. 2,500cr. These train sets will be used on faster inter-city travel routes.

PM Modi during his recent visit to Berlin, visited the Berlin Central Train Station (Berlin Hauptbahnhof) to inspect the infrastructure and other facilities. Also Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu, in his recent interviews has suggested that he will look to capitalize on various assets of railways like land, optical fibers, etc. If these ideas go per plan, there are many more job opportunities possible.



Aviation

There are two parts in this segment. Firstly, in military aviation, the recent deal with France on Rafale jets is well publicized. Whatever the politics of the deal is, the Indian government has been able to extract substantial investment in India in the future. Defense minister Manohar Parrikar has gone on record to say that 50% of the total deal value, approx. $4bn will be invested in India within the defense and aerospace sector. Secondly, in civil aviation, Airbus has also announced that it has joined the “Make in India” bandwagon. To this extent, Airbus has already announced restructuring of its organization in India and the new CEO has announced that Airbus exports will reach $2bn from India. Pratt and Whitney, a US based firm, has also evinced interest in setting up its facilities in India. Like in the automobile sector, aviation also has the potential to create many upstream and downstream jobs along the supply chain.

[member_27845]

Two major " achievements " are both non-negatives

The absence of corruption ( so far ) and absence of terror incidents aimed at the public ( leaving aside the attacks on armed forces in J&K and NE )

[member_28539]

Another good news!

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ind ... 264084.ece

[RamaY]

Corruption at highest levels in India has disappeared: Prem Watsa

Corruption at India's top level has "disappeared" in the year since Narendra Modi took over as prime minister and this is an encouraging signal for foreign investors, says billionaire investor Prem Watsa. In an interview with ET's Romit Guha, the 'Warren Buffet of Canada' says India is the only country of significant size that he likes in the world, given the economic concerns around the US, Europe and China. Watsa-owned Fairfax India will be making the first of its five to seven planned investments in the country by the end of 2015.

How do you view India, its economy, now that the Narendra Modi-led government has completed a year?

India is doing very well. In the year since Prime Minister Modi took over, we believe that corruption at the highest levels has been removed. That push against corruption at the highest level will filter down as we go along. In such a short period of time, that's a phenomenal achievement. So, we are as excited about India now as when we raised the money for Fairfax India . This country, India, is on its way. It's a big country, and it takes time to turn it around, but we are very high on Prime Minister Modi.

[rahulm]

Australian Greenpeace member Aaron Gray-Block refused entry to India

An Australian member of Greenpeace, Aaron Gray-Block, has been refused entry to India despite possessing valid documents and a valid visa by immigration officials at Bangalore airport in south India.

Greenpeace is locked in a dispute with the government which was sparked when one of its activists, Priya Pillai, was not allowed to catch a flight to London from Delhi airport in January. She had been planning to brief British MPs on the activities of an industrial conglomerate and its alleged damage to the environment in India.

A leaked report by the Intelligence Bureau warned that Greenpeace - along with other foreign-funded NGOs - was a threat to the country's national interest and economic development.

The report alleged that such groups, by criticising and blocking industrial projects, were effectively stalling the country's development and costing between two to three per cent in GDP growth.

[Hari Seldon]

[M Joshi]

X-post

Posted in the economy thread, but deserves to be here:
#Modi1: How the PM dismantled the transfer-posting industry

When former ICICI chairman KV Kamath was appointed chairman of the BRICS bank by the Modi government recently, he was pleasantly surprised because he had not expected it. It was a case similar to that of Subhash Garg, a secretary in the Rajasthan government, who was appointed executive director of the World Bank. It came totally out of the blue to him. And not without reason, because the convention has been that these posts don’t come without lobbying and those in the prime minister's office (PMO) or close to it are favoured contenders. Moreover, even the post of the Union petroleum secretary, which has been, in the past, dictated by corporate houses on a few occasions, went to a man who didn’t expect it at all – KD Tripathi, a straightforward Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the northeast cadre.

Clearly, as the dust settles on the debate over how the Narendra Modi government fared in its first year, the most glorious of its achievements has been missed or has got relegated to the background - dismantling of the transfer-posting industry in the top bureaucratic echelons of Delhi. If one goes into history, it has been one of the primary causes of the failure of the Indian delivery system when it comes to results on the ground which the late Rajiv Gandhi had encapsulated very precisely: "When I release one rupee from Delhi, only 15 paisa reaches the end beneficiary."

Have your say. You can comment here.Such a clean-up of the bureaucracy is happening for the first time in three decades – or to be precise, since 1980 when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after her 1977 debacle decided to put personal loyalty above all and started tolerating corruption as a necessary evil.

The biggest change he has brought about is that the selection of top level officers is now being done by the cabinet secretariat and the PMO and the respective minister’s role is now almost non-existent. During ten years of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), ministers were allowed to choose their own secretaries which was one of the main reasons for pliant and corrupt officers being posted. In one case, the National Highway Authority chairman was changed four times in a short span of time at the instance of a minister because the chairmen were not adequately submissive to the minister.

Prime Minister Modi has indeed brought a lot of objectivity by stopping this practice and further showing his own commitment to the cause by getting an upright officer like PK Mishra to oversee postings in the PMO as his principal secretary."

Have your say. You can comment here.Gone are the days when key postings were decided in Delhi's five-star hotels. This is a major development for India as those who acquire a post through lobbying must either recover the money they have paid for the post or oblige their patrons after being posted. Many still believe that corruption in the bureaucracy has been one of the main reasons for India’s backwardness since independence – something that started in a closed economy and went on even after it was opened.

Mishra has devised new methods of due diligence for knowing the true worth of an officer before his final selection which go much beyond the usual perusal of the records of the officers. It involves Mishra’s staff making elaborate inquiries from external and multiple sources about the reputation of the officer and his suitability for the job he is being considered for. Since the Modi government took over, over 550 postings have been made of officers of the level of secretary, joint secretary and additional secretary and almost all were done with objectivity and without lobbying.

Interestingly, with an eye on selecting right people for the right jobs, some very innovative postings have been made in the larger interest of good governance. Take the case of Sanjay Chadda, an officer in the Indian Railways. His expertise in economics came to the notice of the Modi government when he was a member of the committee headed by Bibek Debroy on railway reform. Next, he was posted as a joint secretary in the commerce ministry. The praiseworthy part is that even IAS officers posted in states can hope to get big postings in Delhi which earlier they thought they would never get unless they were already serving in Delhi or had the right "pull and push" in the corridors of power in Delhi.

The best example of dismantling of the transfer-posting raj is in the Indian Railways, where many posts in the Railway Board and even those of general managers carried a price tag under many past governments. It is to the great credit of the Modi government and the PMO in particular, that in a short span, it has helped appoint 26 people as general managers and five members of the Railway Board, including the chairman in the most transparent manner which has no parallel in Indian Railways in the past 35 years.

Interestingly, the figures that went with these posts as under the table money are mindboggling, according to Indian Railways sources. The post of certain general managers carried a price of Rs 2.5 to Rs 5 crore and of certain Railway Board members over Rs 5 crore. The most shocking information is that in the appointment of a Railway Board chairman a few years ago, a political leader allegedly took an unbelievable Rs 50 crore.

History is a great teacher. In 1707, when Mughal emperor Aurangzeb died in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, virtually losing the 27-year epic war with the Marathas, he had one big regret which he put in his last will and testament: The greatest pillar of a kingdom is the keeping of information. The laxity of my spy network allowed Shivaji to escape from my clutches from Agra in 1666. That blunder is chiefly responsible for my misery now."

Have your say. You can comment here.Modi appears to have realised that unless he streamlines the bureaucracy and with it the delivery system, his so-called great vision is never going to get translated. He also seems to have taken a cue from Chattrapati Shivaji’s life story as described by the great historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar: "Shivaji’s dominion spread first of all through the conquests of hearts of the common people which only a strong and honest administrator can achieve." Clearly, today as in Shivaji’s period, the way to their heart is through good governance, which in turn, is possible only through a good delivery system. And Modi seems to know it.

The fact that these actions haven't caused an open revolt in the civil services, to me, proves that there are many capable civil servants who were simply quietly chafing at not being able to progress, and now see effective work as a ticket to career elevation. Just a few years of this, can dramatically change not just polity, but the structure of the administrative services itself, as the deadwood is weeded out ruthlessly. During the UPA years, I know several folks who retired or quit from the civil services due to this industry affecting their ability to progress.

[Vril]

port developed by china in Bangladesh under Indian control after land swap.one pearl out of the string.

[chaanakya]

NO discussions

[Hari Seldon]

[g.sarkar]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 606239.cms
India's response to Manipur ambush: How Army's highly secretive operation neutralised militants in Myanmar
....
"Such was the urgency that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval did not travel to Dhaka with the prime minister because he was under specific instructions from PM Narendra Modi to give a "swift response" to the attack. Modi was kept apprised even during his visit. Several militants, who had crossed over to Myanmar after the Manipur attack, are believed to have been killed in the operation carried out on the basis of specific intelligence."
Gautam

[SaiK]

http://www.niticentral.com/2015/06/10/a ... 17284.html
Ajit Doval plotted Indian Army strike

http://www.niticentral.com/2015/06/10/h ... 17427.html

[member_29058]

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/s ... 150611.htm

How can one equate the chief of government of the country to Pro-HR expert? But it’s true.

From the moment he took charge, jobs, skilling and demographic dividend have been the focus areas for him. In fact like an able chief executive officer, he knew that it is the talent of human potential that is going to take India on a journey to become the superpower and he took several steps to leverage this potential.

Additionally, as a popular people’s leader, he brought into action policies and schemes to take care of the people as a competent human resources head of an organisation does.

1. Cashless but confirmed benefits to the bottom of the pyramid

Modi knows that he is leading a country, wherein approximately one-third of the population still lives below poverty line. Government machinery and non-implementation of right technology has not been able to take the relief funds to the needy.

Additionally the probability of complete amount reaching the deserving has been very low. In such a situation, Jan-Dhan Yojana, an initiative of banking the unbanked, thereby reducing cash transactions can be considered a master stroke.

Not only would this step provide financial security to the population at the bottom of the pyramid, but would also provide a strong base to implement an efficient and corruption free social security system.

2. Defined contribution over defined benefit

Like a classic HR pro, choosing defined contribution scheme with Atal Pension Yojana was a smart move.

Approximately 80-90 per cent people in the country neither have insurance cover nor any link to pension benefits. Through Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY), it is estimated that approximately 95 per cent of the poor will not only be covered by the proper banking sector but also come under universal social security cover in most economical and efficient manner.

Well only an HR-pro could think and implement something like this, especially when there has been a history of cash transactions in our nation.

3. Taking care of future

According to various estimates India would become home to approximately 400 million Millenials (Gen Y) by 2020. While this huge human potential is our ticket to bright future, we need to understand that 15-20 years from now this so called working population would also start ageing. And if our retirement schemes continue at current pace we will be in a grave situation, even worse than Japan.

Modi, like a visionary HR-pro, started a solid pension policy for the unorganised sector (that forms more than 80 per cent of country’s workforce). Without any debate, this can be called a much needed move!

4. Universal Security System unleashed

A population of about 1.25 billion and more than 50 per cent of which in the working age between 15-64 years; India without a social security system is a ticking time bomb. In order to take firm steps towards being a developed nation, universal social security system is a must.

In a country that underwent policy paralysis in recent past, having a leader who could think of these much awaited changes and take steps to implement them is a godsend.

For sure this is just a start and there is a long way ahead, but when some starts are made in one year, in a direction nobody before this could even think of, it surely is a commendable step.

All of the above is nothing but HR policy making at a macro-level and who other than a pro-HR leader could think of making it happen.

So, kudos to the prime minister for making these starts and we hope in the coming years under his leadership India will be recognised on global maps as a developed economy with most talented and efficient human resources.

[member_29058]

http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/mo ... 150612.htm
'Modi has set right his and India's image abroad'

erhaps for the first time in India has a prime minister been scrutinised and dissected so thoroughly after one year in power. Is it because he promised ‘achche din’ during the campaign and so people expected good days to come from the very day of him assuming office?

No. The unadmitted truth is that the media hates him and they will always hate him. They were the ones who said this man was a Hitler and had killed 4000 Muslims; they later reduced it to 2000 and now it (the toll) stands at 1000. A shameless media pretending to be neutral targeted him for 12 years. Some of them went to the extent of creating the suspicion that the Godhra tragedy was enacted by Modi to justify killing Muslims! This fraudulent theory was assisted by a United Progressive Alliance-sponsored commission of inquiry which said the tragedy was an accident, not a conspiracy.

They demonised the man so much and so continuously that the foreign media began echoing the Indian media, and the foreign media xerox copying the demonisation of Modi by Indians became news here as the foreign media too was calling him a demon! It is the foreign-funded NGOs-Indian media alliance, the most deadly and immoral alliance, that started the campaign against Modi and kept targeting him for over a decade.

You mean the English media?

It is the English media that dominates and the language media is only a shadow of the English media, even though it is several times bigger. Opinions are created by the English-speaking elite media and many of them have nothing to do with the real India but these are the people who set the agenda for India and inform the world. No foreign media will quote a language media even though it might command a readership much higher than the English media. The NGO which worked in conspiracy with the Indian media proclaimed that they got the Americans to deny visa to Modi!

Every prime minister from Jawarharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi to P V Narasimha Rao to A B Vajpayee commanded goodwill in India and outside. In the case of Vajpayee, the media said the Jan Sangh was bad, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was bad, but Vajpayee was good. But you take the case of Modi, the moment he was proclaimed as the PM candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party, 60 members of Parliament, including communists, wrote to the president of the USA to be firm on the visa issue. The Economist magazine wrote, ‘we cannot be persuaded to support this man’. See the kind of hatred they had generated then within India which echoed outside.

And the man comes to power! Can you imagine the deficit he had to cover? Trust deficit and legitimacy deficit of the victorious Modi transformed into national discredit of having elected a leader with such deficits. But in one year, he has completely overturned the situation. Has any newspaper written one word on this?


First, the foreign media said he would never have good relations with his neighbours. In one move, by calling all the Saarc leaders for his swearing-in, he demolished it. It was such a brilliant strategy. How many in the media appreciated this? They couldn't tolerate that he has come to power in spite of them.

Now about the kind of scrutiny he had to go through. Modi has been elected for five years, and he was supposed to do certain things in five years. But newspapers are writing editorials asking, tell us what have you done in one year? I can understand an immature person like Rahul Gandhi asking this. But to see editors calling themselves great intellectuals saying what Rahul Gandhi says, speaks of their credibility.

How do you evaluate his first year? What are the positives?

What Modi has achieved in terms of India’s strategic relationship and economic benefits from abroad is something unbelievable in 365 days. He has made America accept our nuclear liability clause. He has made Australia and Canada give 3500 tonnes of uranium. He has not only made China commit to invest $20 billion, but he has told China about setting right the negative trade deficit, implying anti-dumping duties against them. (We have over $ 400 billion in current account deficit). Manmohan Singh, who was virtually crawling before the Chinese president, allowed the nation to run up a trade deficit of $ 375 billion in 10 years. Modi got $ 35 billion investment from Japan and then from EU too. In 365 days, he has turned all the negatives into positive, from (-) 5 to (+) 7. Did any analyst write about the negative scores he had had to overcome in and outside India? They wrote as if he began writing on a clean slate.

The criticism is that he has only got promises for billions of dollars but nothing has come to India…

You mean to say they issue a cheque for $20 billion on the first day? It will come only when the projects begin to take off.

Another criticism against him is that he has been travelling all over the world, neglecting the domestic front…

I told you that he had unbelievably set right his and the country's image abroad (that was) viciously spoilt by our own media in 365 days. Without that, economic recovery in India too would be difficult in an inter-dependent world, particularly when we have been running a current account deficit and making it up through loans and investments from abroad.

On the home front, he is building a powerful foundation for the country’s economy. What are the things that have been missing till now? We were not able to reach people in terms of financial inclusion. No foreign economists or the RBI would say the person who has no money should have a bank account. That was the policy till now. Here, our need is, everybody should have a bank account, only then could we put money in his account.

The RBI agreed to have one crore bank accounts in three years. The finance ministry said, three crore bank accounts in one year. But Modi wanted 7 .5 crore bank accounts in five months. Do you know what the latest tally is? 16.5 crore bank accounts. The scaling up of the operation Jan Dhan Yojana is unthinkable.

Next, 10 crore people have been hooked into three insurance schemes. It happened because they had bank accounts, kisan credit cards and other financial inclusion mechanism

These are all fundamental things. Rajiv Gandhi had said 85 per cent (of the allocation) gets eaten away on the way. Those days are over. The money will go directly to the person. Nobody can eat it in between. Afterwards, what the beneficiary does with the money, is a different matter.

Take the gold monetisation scheme and the MUDRA refinance scheme -- a remarkably India-specific idea. All these are India-centric ideas which neither the Indian nor the foreign media will write about.

You take any measure by Narendra Modi; it is not intended for today’s results; the result will be permanent. He is planning a socio-economic structure which will be solid for the country whether Modi is the prime minister or somebody else.

Don't miss the second part: 'Oil price reduction is not the sole reason for all the positives of the Modi government'

[member_29058]

http://www.rediff.com/news/interview/mo ... 150612.htm
'Modi has set right his and India's image abroad'

Perhaps for the first time in India has a prime minister been scrutinised and dissected so thoroughly after one year in power. Is it because he promised ‘achche din’ during the campaign and so people expected good days to come from the very day of him assuming office?

No. The unadmitted truth is that the media hates him and they will always hate him. They were the ones who said this man was a Hitler and had killed 4000 Muslims; they later reduced it to 2000 and now it (the toll) stands at 1000. A shameless media pretending to be neutral targeted him for 12 years. Some of them went to the extent of creating the suspicion that the Godhra tragedy was enacted by Modi to justify killing Muslims! This fraudulent theory was assisted by a United Progressive Alliance-sponsored commission of inquiry which said the tragedy was an accident, not a conspiracy.

They demonised the man so much and so continuously that the foreign media began echoing the Indian media, and the foreign media xerox copying the demonisation of Modi by Indians became news here as the foreign media too was calling him a demon! It is the foreign-funded NGOs-Indian media alliance, the most deadly and immoral alliance, that started the campaign against Modi and kept targeting him for over a decade.

You mean the English media?

It is the English media that dominates and the language media is only a shadow of the English media, even though it is several times bigger. Opinions are created by the English-speaking elite media and many of them have nothing to do with the real India but these are the people who set the agenda for India and inform the world. No foreign media will quote a language media even though it might command a readership much higher than the English media. The NGO which worked in conspiracy with the Indian media proclaimed that they got the Americans to deny visa to Modi!

Every prime minister from Jawarharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi to Rajiv Gandhi to P V Narasimha Rao to A B Vajpayee commanded goodwill in India and outside. In the case of Vajpayee, the media said the Jan Sangh was bad, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was bad, but Vajpayee was good. But you take the case of Modi, the moment he was proclaimed as the PM candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party, 60 members of Parliament, including communists, wrote to the president of the USA to be firm on the visa issue. The Economist magazine wrote, ‘we cannot be persuaded to support this man’. See the kind of hatred they had generated then within India which echoed outside.

And the man comes to power! Can you imagine the deficit he had to cover? Trust deficit and legitimacy deficit of the victorious Modi transformed into national discredit of having elected a leader with such deficits. But in one year, he has completely overturned the situation. Has any newspaper written one word on this?


First, the foreign media said he would never have good relations with his neighbours. In one move, by calling all the Saarc leaders for his swearing-in, he demolished it. It was such a brilliant strategy. How many in the media appreciated this? They couldn't tolerate that he has come to power in spite of them.

Now about the kind of scrutiny he had to go through. Modi has been elected for five years, and he was supposed to do certain things in five years. But newspapers are writing editorials asking, tell us what have you done in one year? I can understand an immature person like Rahul Gandhi asking this. But to see editors calling themselves great intellectuals saying what Rahul Gandhi says, speaks of their credibility.

How do you evaluate his first year? What are the positives?

What Modi has achieved in terms of India’s strategic relationship and economic benefits from abroad is something unbelievable in 365 days. He has made America accept our nuclear liability clause. He has made Australia and Canada give 3500 tonnes of uranium. He has not only made China commit to invest $20 billion, but he has told China about setting right the negative trade deficit, implying anti-dumping duties against them. (We have over $ 400 billion in current account deficit). Manmohan Singh, who was virtually crawling before the Chinese president, allowed the nation to run up a trade deficit of $ 375 billion in 10 years. Modi got $ 35 billion investment from Japan and then from EU too. In 365 days, he has turned all the negatives into positive, from (-) 5 to (+) 7. Did any analyst write about the negative scores he had had to overcome in and outside India? They wrote as if he began writing on a clean slate.

The criticism is that he has only got promises for billions of dollars but nothing has come to India…

You mean to say they issue a cheque for $20 billion on the first day? It will come only when the projects begin to take off.

Another criticism against him is that he has been travelling all over the world, neglecting the domestic front…

I told you that he had unbelievably set right his and the country's image abroad (that was) viciously spoilt by our own media in 365 days. Without that, economic recovery in India too would be difficult in an inter-dependent world, particularly when we have been running a current account deficit and making it up through loans and investments from abroad.

On the home front, he is building a powerful foundation for the country’s economy. What are the things that have been missing till now? We were not able to reach people in terms of financial inclusion. No foreign economists or the RBI would say the person who has no money should have a bank account. That was the policy till now. Here, our need is, everybody should have a bank account, only then could we put money in his account.

The RBI agreed to have one crore bank accounts in three years. The finance ministry said, three crore bank accounts in one year. But Modi wanted 7 .5 crore bank accounts in five months. Do you know what the latest tally is? 16.5 crore bank accounts. The scaling up of the operation Jan Dhan Yojana is unthinkable.

Next, 10 crore people have been hooked into three insurance schemes. It happened because they had bank accounts, kisan credit cards and other financial inclusion mechanism

These are all fundamental things. Rajiv Gandhi had said 85 per cent (of the allocation) gets eaten away on the way. Those days are over. The money will go directly to the person. Nobody can eat it in between. Afterwards, what the beneficiary does with the money, is a different matter.

Take the gold monetisation scheme and the MUDRA refinance scheme -- a remarkably India-specific idea. All these are India-centric ideas which neither the Indian nor the foreign media will write about.

You take any measure by Narendra Modi; it is not intended for today’s results; the result will be permanent. He is planning a socio-economic structure which will be solid for the country whether Modi is the prime minister or somebody else.

Don't miss the second part: 'Oil price reduction is not the sole reason for all the positives of the Modi government'

[RoyG]

Gold Monetization scheme will be a potent weapon for us to fight the escalating currency conflict. When the SDR fails all the countries will go revert to a gold backed currency (40-60%). Through the scheme the RBI will be able to add 3500-5000 tons to the gold holdings over a period of 10-15 years.

[member_29058]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 423454.cms

former student of DPS Patna wrote to the Prime Minister about the deteriorating condition of a 70-year-old art work, a 100ft long scroll, depicting the story of Lord Buddha's life from Birth to Enlightenment.

Sanghamitra (24), currently studying at George Washington University, was concerned that her grandfather's magnum opus would be lost to the vagaries of time if it wasn't restored urgently. The PMO has acted on her request to restore the piece of art.

[JE Menon]

Once again, guys we know it is very tempting to discuss on this thread, but please take it to the economic thread or one of the other threads, provide a link to the article and discuss. This is only for links. It should become a useful resource a couple of years down the line.

[member_29058]

http://thenamopatrika.com/nid-sets-up-r ... -stations/

The Indian Railways will get a fresh lease of life as NID takes on the onerous task of designing passenger friendly coaches and stations.

National Institute of Design (NID) has set up a centre for designing passenger friendly coaches and stations for the Indian Railways.

In April, an MoU was signed between Rail Ministry and NID for setting up of Railway Design Centre at the institute’s Ahmedabad campus with a corpus of Rs 10 crore.

Over the next 10 years, the centre is “expected to bring in revolutionary changes in passenger and freight transport facilities through sustained design research and development exclusively dedicated to the Indian Railways,” a Commerce and Industry Ministry statement today said.

[member_29058]

http://thenamopatrika.com/govt-sets-up- ... ance-pool/
GOVT SETS UP RS 1,500 CRORE NUCLEAR INSURANCE POOL

he Union government has launched an insurance pool to the tune of Rs.1,500 crore that is mandatory under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLND) in a bid to offset financial burden of foreign nuclear suppliers.
The announcement was on Saturday made by minister of state in the department of atomic energy Jitendra Singh. Singh noticed that several long-pending projects such as the Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojna (GHAVP) are now expected to move forward after the setting up of the pool.
Clauses in the CLND Act, which give the operator the right to recourse and allow it to sue the suppliers in case of any accident were seen as being a major hindrance to the growth of the nuclear industry. These concerns led to the formation of the Indian nuclear insurance pool.
R.K. Sinha, secretary in the department of atomic energy, said this would be a solution for suppliers’ concerns about liability from nuclear risks. Under the Rs.1,500 crore pool, set up by General Insurance Corp. of India (GIC Re) and 11 other non-life insurers, including New India, Oriental Insurance, National Insurance and United India Insurance from the public sector and several other private insurance companies, the policies that will be offered are a nuclear operators’ liability insurance policy and a nuclear suppliers’ special contingency (against right to recourse) insurance policy.

[A_Gupta]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stanley-w ... 87310.html

Yet foreign policy has undoubtedly become Modi's primary focus -- and his pragmatic methods have far exceeded expectations....Speculating on this shift, a senior Indian official jokes to me, "Maybe he thought it's easier to deal with international affairs than domestic ones." .....But the reality is that Modi's emphasis on foreign policy is not about avoiding India's domestic challenges -- it's about solving them....

..Unlike China, whose willingness to play a leadership role on the world stage has largely been confined to self-interest, India's newly assertive and multi-aligned foreign policy could make it a powerful global partner -- on issues ranging from climate change to Ukraine.

[Prasad]

SAARC connectivity: India inks landmark motor pact with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 676229.cms

India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh have inked a Motor Vehicles Agreement for the regulation of passenger, personnel and cargo vehicular traffic in Thimpu, Bhutan.

..will enable seamless movement of people and goods across the borders for the economic benefit of the entire region.

"This would further need to be supplemented through building and upgrading roads, railways and waterways infrastructure, energy grids, communications and air links to ensure smooth cross-border flow of goods, services, capital, technology and people," said Gadkari.

A similar framework has been finalised between India, Myanmar and Thailand, the minister said. Once it is signed India will get access to the larger ASEAN market through seamless passenger and cargo movement.

[Anindya]

5 Encouraging Charts That Show India Is Getting Better