Bharat Rakshak

ramana wrote:VIvS, You think there is no shoe on other foot?

ramana wrote:VIvS, You think there is no shoe on other foot?

The entire US budget will buy ONE fighter plane.

The government is examining options to file a case against the US in the World Trade Organisation based on programmes run by American state governments which give protection to domestic manufacturers.

This was stated by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal who was addressing an event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry on Friday.

Commenting on the WTO’s ruling on the mandatory domestic content stipulations in India’s solar power generation programme Goyal said, “There are at least nine US states which have similar programmes that give protection to domestic manufacturers. I am now examining them and after that we will file a case against the US.”

The Minister added, “We will of course go and appeal against the WTO order. But we are ingenious enough in India to find an alternate mechanism to protect our manufacturers.”

While the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission aims to add 100,000 MW of solar power by 2022, the local content requirement is only for 8,000 MW for rooftop and land-based projects where the government provides a subsidy.

India has been arguing that since the power generated through the JNNSM was bought by NTPC, a public sector agency, the transaction qualifies as government procurement and is not covered by WTO rules.

This was rejected by the WTO which stated that the domestic content requirement was on power equipment and not on power that is bought by the government.

Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy said earlier in the week that the domestic manufacturers will be given protection by procurement through defence agencies and other such means.

“It is very unfortunate that the US decided to pursue their case against India in the WTO. All India has done is protect the domestic manufacturers who have so far given 400 MW of equipment to the installed capacity of 6,000 MW,” said Goyal.

He added, “When India scales up to a 100 GW all that the Indian manufacturers can produce is about 15-17,000 MW over the next seven years. This would still leave more than 80,000 MW of market for the world. The US took a very myopic view.”

The Minister also warned that if Indian manufacturers manage to prove a case of dumping against the US manufacturers, solar power will become expensive forcing the government to abort the solar programme.

“Our own domestic manufacturers had won a complaint against US manufacturers for dumping their products in India which would have resulted in high anti-dumping duties. I personally persuaded the Indian manufacturers and it was their magnanimity who withdrew their request. If Indian manufacturers go back to seeking anti-dumping duties, solar power will again become expensive and we may have to abort the programme,” said Goyal.

New Delhi (CNN)— Most Indians -- about a sixth of the world's population -- have never heard of Donald Trump. But that may be about to change, at least a little.If you walk past any roadside magazine stand here in New Delhi you may see a reddish-orange face peering out at you, printed prominently on the fronts of Indian publications.Just recently, two of India's top English-language weeklies ran cover stories on the U.S. elections. Outlook magazine's cover "Donald Trump: American Nightmare" had a caricature of a grimacing, enraged Trump dominating the full page. "Loud. Brash. Divisive. Insensitive. Xenophobic." it declared. Open magazine had a blue-tinted Hillary Clinton pitted against a red-colored Donald Trump. "The American Scream," blared the coverIt's the world's biggest democracy meeting the world's greatest election.Krishna Prasad, the editor of Outlook, says Indian magazines often put American presidents on their covers but it's rare to give a mere candidate that treatment, especially with seven months left to election day."For us Trump was an excuse to put a mirror in front of Indians," he says, pointing to what he sees as parallels between the rise of Trump and the election of Narendra Modi as India's Prime Minister in 2014. "Both were outsiders, and both ran on a demonstrable record of getting things done," says Prasad. "Modi and Trump tapped into the angst of the people. Trump's racist comments mirror things that have been said here as well," he adds, pointing to recent comments by ruling-party parliamentarians on Islam.
Nothing projects Brand Trump louder than a gleaming new building towering over India's slums. There are two officially branded Trump Towers in India, both on the country's western coast -- in the cities of Pune and Mumbai.I spoke with Prashant Bindal, the Chief Sales officer of the Lodha Group, which is building Trump Towers Mumbai. Trump Mumbai is not owned by Trump. According to Bindal, Trump's role is primarily to lend his name to the towers, a franchise deal where the Lodha Group can use Trump's logos and designs. "We have the classic Trump golden façade, the club, the services -- it stands out," says Bindal.A standard 1,300 square foot, two-bedroom Trump Mumbai apartment is currently selling for $1.5 million. It's a similar story in Pune, where Trump Tower apartments are attracting a 30% premium over the market. Writing in Outlook, the builder of Trump Towers Pune describes how he met The Donald himself in 2014, on his first visit to India. "Trump sees huge business potential in India ... his business dealings are great. His politics will be even better." Trump's association with India predates his buildings here: the businessman has long recognized the power of one of India's top brands. As far back as 1990 he opened Trump Taj Mahal, a garish Atlantic City casino and resort inspired by the 17th century Indian mausoleum of the same name.Trump the candidate has been bashing China, lashing out at Mexico, declaring how he will carpet bomb ISIS hideouts in the Middle East ... but on India, he has spoken little. When he has, it's been surprisingly positive, telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer recently that "India is doing great ... (but) no one talks about India." And yet, as Indians learn more about Trump they will see a side of the GOP frontrunner they may find hurtful.
Mihir Joshi, a musician and talk show host who lives in Mumbai, told CNN that he would not feel safe traveling to America."I have a beard, I have dark skin, I could be mistaken for a Muslim and what, every time I enter America I have to prove I'm not a Muslim? How do you go about that? When you hear some of the things he says it does sound like he's a fascist."The paradox of why Americans are so polarised in their opinions on Trump are mirrored in India too: Indians also look up to Trump. "Trump evokes all kinds of feelings in India," says Prasannarajan of Open magazine. "He evokes admiration too. Indians admire his popularity, his success, his wealth. Indians aren't impacted by the Mexican border -- they are more taken by the idea of a strong leader who isn't always politically correct."As the Republican field for the presidential nomination narrows, India is waking up to the story of America's elections. Trump the man, candidate, and brand now has more exposure than ever before. In that sense, the American experience may just be a microcosm of a larger global project -- extending the brand to the farthest reaches of the planet, in the fastest growing economies of the world.

Both US and Indian officials told The Indian Express that progress on the agreements would be on top of the agenda during US Defence Secretary Ash Carter’s visit to India in April. US officials said “both sides are working on them but there are still outstanding issues”.The LSA is seen as the most likely among the three agreements to be signed by the two sides. According to US officials, LSA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies and services between the US military and armed forces of partner countries on a reimbursable basis, and provides a governing framework for exchange of such logistics support.Senior Indian officials said signing the LSA could lead to complications because of the situation in the Middle East. A large number of Indians work in these countries. If the US were to get involved there and India was bound to provide logistics support to the US military, it could endanger their lives.Indian officials feel that signing these agreements would lock the country in an irreversible strategic partnership with the US, which is focused on countering the Chinese threat in the region. India, they said, does not wish to be seen as a strategic ally of the US against China. The officials also pointed to the US decision to sell eight F-16 fighters to Pakistan. “How can the US be a partner of both Pakistan and us at the same time?” a senior official asked.US has been insistent on India signing the agreements for a decade now.

ramana wrote:Jhujar, Looks like a bunch of Congtards in the media carrying on blow to Modi against Trump!!!!
All those magazines are run by #AdarshLiberal editors.

The biofuels industry and the Chinese economy are stagnant, which is weighing on demand and prices for U.S. corn and soy. And India, an emerging buyer with a huge appetite for pulses, is beginning to assert itself on the world food market. “The next couple decades could belong to India,” says Erik Norland, an economist with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. “It will have a real impact on what farmers choose to grow and on what the world eats.” India’s annual food imports have risen 61 percent since 2010, to $22.6 billion, and there’s more room to grow. Its population is expanding at a rate of 1.2 percent per year, compared with 0.7 percent for the U.S. Indians eat 17 percent fewer calories per day than the world average, a deficit that Norland projects will shrink as the nation becomes more prosperous and imported food becomes more abundant and affordable. Led by India, global demand for U.S.-grown pulses reached $702 million last year, more than double that of a decade ago. Pulses won’t overtake ­traditional American cash crops anytime soon, if ever: In 2015, U.S. farmers dedicated 88 million acres to corn production and less than 2 million acres to peas and lentils. That’s partly because legumes require higher maintenance when it comes to controlling insects and weeds, so massive acreage becomes labor-­intensive. Still, with corn and soy at less than half their peak prices, the economics of growing pulses is becoming more attractive. “The more demand we have, the more consistent the market becomes, the easier it is to convince farmers to grow them,” Anderson says.

amitkv wrote:G PARTHASARATHY says so.

Whatever the outcome, India can expect a more mutually beneficial relationship with the US.

Trump, Hillary, and the US elections

I highly doubt it. Shillary like her groper hubby will do nothing for India-US relations infact she might be more of a headache than the pain in the bottom like bamba.

UlanBatori wrote:The really terrifying prospect is that the donkeys are realizing that they can get a whole "backlash" of voters coming out just to vote for the NOTRUMP

SSridhar wrote:China's move to block ban against Azhar came just before deadline

and "South Asia" is a lab for every pipsqueak activist in the west to show off their credentials.

India-US defence ties might undergo a paradigm shift with the visit of US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter here on April 10 even as both sides are poised to sign the much-awaited military foundational agreements.

Inking of the three foundational agreements — Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) — between India and US is going to be topmost on Secretary Carter's agenda.

With the impending US Presidential elections, this is going to be Carter's last visit to India in his present capacity. Under the Obama administration, US-India defence co-operation reached the next level with US military exports reaching over $14 billion last fiscal and establishment of a bilateral Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) in 2012.

However, the US had been insisting on signing the three foundational pacts with India to enable greater technology transfer and easy flow of investments from American defence firms into India.

But India had been not much forthcoming in signing these because of widespread apprehensions that it might give America access to the country's sensitive defence information. There are also some who believe these pacts will empower US to coerce India into taking part in NATO's operations, according to the Ministry of Defence officials.

“This is consequential time for India-US defence ties. This may be Carter's final visit to Delhi as Secretary of Defence. As the most pro-India secretary in recent memory, people will look to see if his strong support for the partnership yields positive results. If progress can't be clearly seen, the next US administration may not devote as much focus to India," Ben Schwartz, Director - Defence and Aerospace, US-India Business Council (USIBC).

Schwartz said the foundational pacts are basically aimed at enhancing greater technology transfer and joint military collaboration and exercises.

Recently, the US government also passed the coveted US-India Defence Technology and Partnership Act (HR 4825), a rare status given to America's primary military allies.

The foundations of global order seem increasingly unsteady. The intensity of upheavals in the Middle East, Europe’s ongoing crisis and great power competition in the Asia-Pacific is matched only by the transformational forces rocking the global economy, climate, cyberspace and other transnational domains.Tempting though it may be, we don’t have the luxury of holding our breath and waiting for this moment of disorder to pass. The principal strategic task for the US—and its partners—is to channel these forces and help shape international circumstances before other forces and events shape them for us.This should be the animating purpose of the strategic partnership between the US and India. India’s rise is as significant a feature of today’s international landscape as any other. The same is true of its partnership with the US—between two of the world’s largest democracies, two of the world’s largest economies and two countries that for the first time have a deep stake in each other’s success.Thanks to sustained—and these days tragically rare—bipartisan consensus in both countries, and sustained efforts by both leaderships, the depth and breadth of today’s partnership would have been unthinkable two decades ago.In the security realm, after years of “non-alignment”, India looks to the US as its largest defence supplier and both engage in more bilateral military exercises than either does with any other country. In the economic realm, bilateral and people-to-people ties are growing tighter by the day. Two decades ago, two-way trade was at $8 billion a year. Today, it is on the verge of $100 billion. From Silicon Valley to Bengaluru and Wall Street to Mumbai, Indians and Americans are making a profound impact on one another and in the world.For all the good news stories, both leaderships recognize that much work remains if we are to realize the full promise of this partnership. Ambitious bilateral goals—whether it is reaching $500 billion annually in two-way trade, working towards a free trade agreement, or fully integrating India into the broader Asian economic architecture—are necessary, but not sufficient.

The real value of the partnership will come when both nations begin to view the other as indispensable for resolving the challenges at the core of today’s global disorder.The essential prerequisite to taking this leap is India’s own economic revitalization. Washington can contribute towards this outcome by providing capital, technology and expertise, but what New Delhi does for itself will matter far more in comparison.If India’s economic success is substantial and sustainable, much is possible. This begins with the Indo-Pacific, where together the US and India can help build a regional order that protects convergent values and interests, starting with stronger engagement with Japan, Australia and the smaller South-East Asian states. Beyond the Indo-Pacific, India plays a critical role in nearly every region and issue of consequence—from the future of democracy to nuclear non-proliferation, great power politics to climate, and the impact of technological innovation on international affairs. In each of these areas and others, a common approach will be critical to enhancing the value of the strategic partnership.For all the historic achievements of the past decade, it is the decade to come that will demonstrate whether the shared strategic bet made in Washington and New Delhi will yield joint benefits and deliver on the two countries’ shared vision for the Pacific Century.

Jhujar wrote:http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/raNURFp ... order.html
India’s rise and global order
William J. Burns

...Two decades ago, two-way trade was at $8 billion a year. Today, it is on the verge of $100 billion. From Silicon Valley to Bengaluru and Wall Street to Mumbai, Indians and Americans are making a profound impact on one another and in the world.For all the good news stories, both leaderships recognize that much work remains if we are to realize the full promise of this partnership. Ambitious bilateral goals—whether it is reaching $500 billion annually in two-way tra[/b]de, working towards a free trade agreement, or fully integrating India into the broader Asian economic architecture—are necessary, but not sufficient.

The real value of the partnership will come when both nations begin to view the other as indispensable for resolving the challenges at the core of today’s global disorder....a common approach will be critical to enhancing the value of the strategic partnership.For all the historic achievements of the past decade, it is the decade to come that will demonstrate whether the shared strategic bet made in Washington and New Delhi will yield joint benefits and deliver on the two countries’ shared vision for the Pacific Century.

The US-India Defence Technology and Partnership Act, which was introduced in the U.S. Congress a couple of weeks ago, would “institutionalise” the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) framework between the two countries and the Indian-specific cell in the Pentagon, a senior U.S. Defence official said.

The resolution was introduced by Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House Caucus intended to amend the U.S. Arms Export Control Action to formalise India’s status for the purpose of Congressional notifications as a major partner of equal status as America’s treaty allies and closest partners. The U.S.-India Business Council played a major role in pushing the resolution forward.

“It will institutionalise what we are doing with DTTI and the India Rapid Reaction Cell (IRRC). In fact, IRRC is specifically mentioned in this Act,” Duncan Lange, who heads the India Rapid Reaction Cell (IRRC) in the Pentagon, told The Hindu. .

He noted that the resolution had not been passed yet, but there was a lot of support for that. “India is a bipartisan thing,” Mr. Lange said.

The IRRC is the only country-specific cell in the Pentagon and functions under the office of the Under Secretary of Defence Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. It was set up in January 2015 with a six-member team which, officials said, is indicative of the importance attached to deepening strategic cooperation with India.

The IRRC was the initiative of U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter, also the key architect of the DTTI, launched in 2012 to deepen high-technology cooperation and move towards co-development and co-production of high technology platforms.

Mr. Lange explained that rather than the cell being the initiative of one Secretary, the Act would make it a permanent process. “We are going to be changing governments soon. So whatever happens, the progress we made here should go on.”

Speaking on the progress of the projects under the DTTI, Mr. Lange said a project agreement had been signed in August last year for two of the four pathfinder projects — mobile electric hybrid power sources and uniform integrated protection ensemble (nuclear, biological and chemical protection suits for soldiers).

India has strengthened its ties with Burma, the Philippines, and Thailand, but more importantly it is working with Vietnam and Japan to check China’s increasing domination of the South China Sea.
In this it has a new ally, albeit one it keeps at arm’s length – the United States. For decades India was suspicious that the Americans were the new British, but with a different accent and more money. In the twenty-first century a more confident India, in an increasingly multipolar world, has found reason to co-operate with the USA. When President Obama attended the 2015 Indian Republic Day military parade, New Delhi took care to show off its shiny new US-supplied C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft as well as its Russian-supplied tanks. The two giant democracies are slowly moving closer together.

Singha wrote:Saurav Jha ‏@SJha1618
Now that Obama has conveyed his two minutes of preachy nuclear hypocrisy to India, it is time to test the Agni-V.

The other area where I think we’d need to see progress is Pakistan and India, that subcontinent, making sure that as they develop military doctrines, that they are not continually moving in the wrong direction.

In response to a question on President Obama's remarks at the Nuclear Security Summit Press Conference on India and Pakistan's military doctrines, the Official Spokesperson said:

Yes, we have seen those remarks. There seems to be a lack of understanding of India’s defence posture. Conventionally, India has never initiated military action against any neighbour. We also have a no-first use nuclear weapons policy. Since the context was the Nuclear Security Summit, the President’s own remark that ‘expanding nuclear arsenals in some countries, with more small tactical nuclear weapons which could be at greater risk of theft’ sums up the focus of global concern.