Triple Talaq bill passed in the Lok Sabha

28th December 2017

The Lok Sabha today passed the Triple Talaq bill by voice vote. The bill was passed after the House rejected a string of amendments moved by various opposition members. The bill will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha. 

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill, 2017, which makes instant triple talaq illegal and void and awarding a jail term of up to three years to the husband, was introduced in the Lok Sabha earlier today amid protests by several opposition parties. 

The bill, prepared by an inter-ministerial group headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, makes instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat in any form - spoken, in writing or by electronic means such as email, SMS and WhatsApp "illegal and void" and provides for a jail term of three years for the husband. 

What it entails: 

*A Muslim man who resorts to Talaq-e-Biddat or instant talaq would be jailed for three years and custody of any minor children would be granted to the affected woman. 

*The draft bill says, "any pronouncement of talaq by a person upon his wife, by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be void and illegal". 

*A Muslim man who resorts to Talaq-e-Biddat or instant talaq would be jailed for three years and custody of any minor children would be granted to the affected woman. 

Earlier, BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi called for a law against maulvis who oversee instant triple talaq. She said talaq-e-biddat has nothing to do with religion. She further said women are the biggest minority in this country and this is why they have been oppressed in the society. 

Earlier, speaking in the Lok Sabha Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the legislation meant to ensure gender justice to women is affected by instant divorce. The Congress has sought the bill to be sent to the Standing Committee, while few other opposition parties like the AIMIM and Biju Janata Dal have called the legislation an "injustice to Muslim women". 

India is one of the few countries where the practice of instant divorce has survived and some Muslim groups have said that while it was wrong, the law should be reviewed by the community itself.

India’s civil codes are designed to protect the independence of religious communities. Unlike most Hindu civil laws, which have been codified and reformed, Muslim personal laws have largely been left untouched.

Members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board said the government had no right to outlaw instant triple talaq, as it was directly interfering with the Muslim personal law.

Zakia Soman, founder of a Muslim women’s group, the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, said once triple talaq becomes a legal offence, victims could approach the police and the legal system to initiate action against offenders.

Speaking on behalf of the government, MoS MJ Akbar called into question the credibility of All India Muslim Personal Law Board for opposing the move. He asked 'who made them community representatives?'

India's AAD Supersonic Interceptor Missile scores a direct hit and is a grand success

28th December 2017

India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed Advanced Air Defence (AAD) supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile in low altitude, from a test range in Odisha.

This was the third supersonic interceptor test carried out this year in which an incoming ballistic missile target was successfully intercepted, within 30 km altitude of the earth’s atmosphere by an interceptor.

“It was a direct hit and grand success,” defence sources said after the test launch.

The earlier two tests were conducted on March 1 and February 11, 2017, as part of efforts to have a full-fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system.

“Today’s test was conducted to validate various parameters of the interceptor in flight mode and it was all success,” the sources said.

The target missile-- a Prithvi missile-- was launched from launch complex 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur near here.

After getting signals by tracking radars, the interceptor AAD missile, positioned at Abdul Kalam Island --previously known as Wheeler Island -- in the Bay of Bengal, roared through its trajectory to destroy the hostile target missile in mid-air in an endo-atmospheric altitude, defence sources said.

The interceptor is a 7.5-meter long single stage solid rocket propelled guided missile equipped with a navigation system, a hi-tech computer and an electro-mechanical activator, the sources said.

The state-of-the-art interceptor missile has its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and sophisticated radars.

India should silence Pakistan's rogue army once and for all

How Indian army can silence Pakistan's rogue army once and for all 

By Gurmeet Kanwal

https://idsa.in/

On December 23, an officer and three soldiers of the Sikh regiment were ambushed and killed by the Pakistan army in the Rajouri sector of LoC. Their bodies were reportedly mutilated. The Indian Army responded appropriately.

Pakistan's rogue army has mutilated the bodies of Indian soldiers many times in the past in flagrant violation of the honour code of soldiering and the provisions of the Geneva Convention.

Despite the gravest of provocations over three decades of Pakistan's war for Jammu and Kashmir by asymmetric means, India showed immense strategic restraint. After the terrorist attacks at the IAF airbase at Pathankot and the Army camp at Uri, the Army conducted surgical strikes at several terrorist camps across the LoC in September 2016 and caused extensive damage.

Since then, the policy has changed to one of tactical assertiveness under the umbrella of strategic restraint. The aim was to inflict punishment on the Pakistan army to raise its cost for the sponsorship of terrorism across the LoC as an instrument of state policy.

The experience since then, including a major increase in the number of infiltration attempts and violations of the mutually agreed ceasefire of November 2003, shows that the new policy has not worked effectively enough. Hence, it is necessary to formulate a comprehensive national-level strategy to counter Pakistan's war for Kashmir. 

The political aim should be to raise the cost for the 'deep state' for waging a continuous war, with a view to eventually making the cost prohibitive. Indian diplomacy should aim to isolate Pakistan in the international community and have Pakistan branded as a terrorist state by the UN Security Council. India should take the first step in this regard and itself make a declaration to this effect.

The aim of pro-active measures in the economic field should be to choke Pakistan's economy. The imposition of unilateral economic sanctions and those by the UN Security Council should be considered. India could also use its buyer's clout with defence MNCs to ensure that companies that sell weapons and defence equipment to India refrain from supplying these to Pakistan.

The military aim should be to inflict punishment on the Pakistan army deployed on the LoC for every act of terrorism on Indian soil for which there is credible evidence of the army's involvement or that of the ISI. For each subsequent act of terrorism the scale and the intensity of the dose should be increased by an order of magnitude. The level of military retaliation should be carefully calibrated to avoid escalation to large-scale conflict, which is not in India's interest.

Operations should include artillery strikes to destroy bunkers on forward posts; stand-off PGM strikes on brigade and battalion HQ, communications and logistics infrastructure, ammunition dumps and key bridges; and, raids by Special Forces and border action teams. Every Pakistani post through which infiltration takes place should be reduced to rubble.

Firepower-heavy operations should be supplemented by covert operations by Special Forces as Pakistan is not inclined to bring to justice the leaders of terrorist organisations like the LeT and the JeM, terrorists whom they call 'strategic assets'.

When the Pakistan army begins to hurt and bleed, the 'deep state' will realise the futility of its nefarious designs on India. While Pakistan may not give up its claims on J&K, it will be forced to come to the negotiating table to discuss a long-term solution to the dispute through peaceful means.

The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Views are personal.

Published in https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/how-indian-army-can-silence-pakistans-rogue-army-once-and-for-all/articleshow/62261370.cms

Indian will be the World's No.3 economy by 2032

China is likely to overtake the United States as the world's No.1 economy in 2032, and India will be in number 3, Japan in number 4, Germany in 5 and Brazil in 6.

However, India will be leaping ahead of both the UK and France by the end of 2018, a new report shows.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) consultancy's annual World Economic League Table put India in fifth place, before France in sixth and the UK in seventh in 2018.

However, come 2032, India will be in number three, Japan in number four, Germany in fifth and Brazil in sixth. 

Previous reports had shown that China would take the top spot by 2031, but the predicted negative impact on the U.S. economy of President Trump has been 'less severe' than expected, CEBR said.

CEBR said that China would take the top spot on year later than previously thought as the negative impact of President Trump has been less severe than expected

'Because the impact of President Trump on trade has been less severe than expected, the USA will retain its global crown a year longer than we anticipated in the last report,' the report said. 

India's ascent is part of a trend that will see Asian economies increasingly dominate the top 10 largest economies over the next 15 years.

'Despite temporary setbacks ... India's economy has still caught up with that of France and the UK and in 2018 will have overtaken them both to become the world's fifth largest economy in dollar terms,' said Douglas McWilliams, CEBR deputy chairman.

McWilliams said India's growth had been slowed by restrictions on high-value banknotes and a new sales tax, a view shared by economists polled by Reuters. 

While Britain looks set to lag behind France over the next couple of years, Cebr predicted that Brexit's effects on Britain's economy will be less than feared, allowing it to overtake France again in 2020.

Russia was vulnerable to low oil prices and too reliant on the energy sector, and looked likely to fall to 17th place among the world's largest economies by 2032, from 11th now. 

Oliver Kolodseike, senior economist and report co-author, said: 'The interesting trend emerging is that by 2032 five of the ten largest economies will be in Asia while European economies arefalling down the ranking and the USA loses its top spot.

'Technology and urbanisation will be important factors transforming the world economy over the next 15 years.'

A Reuters poll of economists in late October suggested global economic growth in 2018 looks likely to quicken slightly to 3.6 percent from 3.5 percent this year - with risks to that forecast lying on the upside.

Lalu Prasad's conviction & A. Raja's acquittal

Lalu Prasad's conviction & A. Raja's acquittal 

With the acquittal of Spectrum Raja and Kannimozhi, there was a sudden resurgence in the forces that subverted all systems of Governance in India since Independence. 

Not withstanding the fact that A.Raja was arrested on 2 February 2011, when the UPA was in power and was in fact in prison for 15 months, DMK and Congress are doing their best to pass this whole episode off as a BJP's conspiracy. 

The same narrative is being peddled by Lalu's gang right now-accusing BJP for sending Lalu to Jail. Other caste and local issues will be clubbed together to make it seem as though grave injustice is being done to the "accused" for political reasons.

In Tamilnadu, in addition to the above, the popular Tamil card will also be used-as though this whole episode was a drama enacted by the BJP against Tamils. 

People in Tamilnadu generally dont believe that A.Raja was an honest Minister. Even the judgement says that evidence is lacking for prosecution. This 2G case has to be revived and taken up to ensure that the right judgement is served, as in the case of Sashikala. 

There has been ample evidence to show that the entire system of allocation of licenses was deliberately flawed. This was the basis for the original conviction and cancellation of Licenses.

Subverting existing systems is an even bigger crime than the "presumed" figure of financial loss in the 2G spectrum allocation. Once the systems are compromised, the very role of the Minister is reversed dangerously. 

A Minister is appointed solely to ensure proper Governance. The Minister has to ensure that the current systems and procedures are followed perfectly and meticulously. The Minister should also ensure the systems in place are transparent and can not be manipulated in the future.

One judgement has vitalized and galvanized the corrupt forces who have already united to taken on the BJP. This is dangerous for India.

It is clear that the BJP government has to do more on corruption and prosecution of the corrupt, as this was the main reason for the 2014 election victory. Like Dr.Subramanian Swamy said - Finance Ministry needs a purge and we must now fight corruption on a "war footing."

India-Swiss deal to allow tax-related data sharing from Jan 1, 2018

India-Swiss deal to allow tax-related data sharing from Jan 1, 2018

India signed an agreement with Switzerland on 21st Dec 2017 that would allow automatic sharing of tax-related information from January 1 next year, the CBDT said.

"With the completion of the parliamentary procedure in Switzerland and signing of mutual agreement, India and Switzerland are set for automatic exchange of information for the period beginning from January 1, 2018," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said.

The policy-making body for the Income Tax Department said the agreement was signed by CBDT chairman Sushil Chandra and Swiss Ambassador to India Andreas Baum at the North Block here.

A joint declaration for the implementation of Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) was signed last month between the two sides here and it provided that both countries would start collecting data in accordance with the global standards in 2018 and exchange it from 2019 onwards.

While Switzerland has conformed to the global standards on automatic exchange of information with the signing of the declaration, India, on its part, has promised to safeguard the confidentiality of the data.

"It will now be possible for India to receive from September, 2019 onwards, the financial information of accounts held by Indian residents in Switzerland for 2018 and subsequent years, on an automatic basis," the government earlier said.

Switzerland, which has always been at the centre of the debate on black money allegedly stashed by Indians abroad, used to be known for very strong secrecy walls till a few years ago around its banking practices.

A huge global pressure has resulted in Switzerland relenting on the tough secrecy clauses its local laws gave to the banks.

Official sources said that several information requests on details about Indians who had accounts in Swiss banks were still pending.

The AEOI conforms to a norm set by global economic body he Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for tax transparency.

Upto 44% increase in Long Haul Truck distance coverage after GST due to dismantling of Check Posts

The useless oppostion and the pathetic commies and chrislamists condemn GST regularly and try their best to make it as though Commercial Tax in India started only after Modi came to power.

The below piece of statistic is also clear proof that not has GST rationalized & made easier commercial taxation in India but it has also contributed hugely to free movement of Trucks and removed most of the bottlenecks in Freight Movement within the country.

This also results in huge fuel and time savings for the nation.

Trucks have started covering greater distances since the nationwide implementation of a unified tax regime, which led to the dismantling of interstate border check-posts, a study by the government showed. 

Trucks are travelling 300-325 km a day, an up to 44% increase from the average of 225 km a day before July 1, when the goods and services tax was introduced, according to data collated by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. 

Previously, long-haul trucks and cargo carriers spent as much as 20% of their transit time idling at interstate check-posts, where local transport authorities monitored the collection of sales tax and verified documents related to consignments, vehicles and drivers. 

"With the dismantling of state checkposts, freight transit time has come down. There are no delays on account of octroi," said Shyam Maller, executive vice-president (sales & marketing) at VE Commercial Vehicles, .. 

"With the dismantling of state checkposts, freight transit time has come down. There are no delays on account of octroi," said Shyam Maller, executive vice-president (sales & marketing) at VE Commercial Vehicles, a Volvo Group and Eicher Motors joint venture. 

A study of freight transit time on the 1,660 km stretch between Chennai and Kolkata shows that of the 50-65 hours taken to cover the distance, 10-15 hours were spent at border check-posts, 5-6 hours were wasted on account of congestion and 1-3 hours were lost at toll centres before GST was implemented. 

However, some transporters said the improvement in truck movement hasn't been as much as expected and not all barriers have been cleared to facilitate seamless movement of goods. 

"On some routes, per day movement has gone up by 40-45 km but our trucks have the potential to do much more, at least 450 km per day," said Bal Malkit Singh, chairman (core committee), All India Motor Transport Congress. 

"Two major bottlenecks remain: RTO posts have not been abolished in all states, checks continue at interstate borders. Besides, a lot of time is wasted at toll plazas." 

Still, the enhanced utilisation of trucks and the simpler tax structure under GST have helped to reduce logistics costs to 10-12% of the total value of goods from 14% earlier. Logistics account for 10% and 8% of the total value of goods in BRIC nations and major developed countries, respectively. 

Road Transport & Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier indicated that the logistics sector would stand to gain the most from the new indirect tax regime as costs would come down by 20%. While seamless interstate flow of goods would enable the use of higher tonnage trucks and thereby reduce transportation costs, optimised warehousing solutions under GST would further bring down logistics costs. 

Companies previously maintained warehouses in every state on account of varying tax structures. 

"A lot of consolidation is happening in the logistics sector as companies no longer need to maintain warehouses in every state," said Maller. "The hub-andspoke model will become more efficient in the coming days." 

All this because for the first time in India we have a Prime Minister who is bold enough to implement what is necessary for the good of the country. This is what the commies and associated crooks cant stand.

Donald Trump's first NSS supports India's emergence as a Leading Global Power

Donald Trump's first NSS supports India's emergence as a Leading Global Power

The first National Security Strategy from the Trump administration offers lots of support to India, while taking a tough stance against Pakistan. The US National Security Strategy paper, being released by President Donald Trump on Monday Washington time, seeks to support “India’s emergence as a leading global power” and promises to “to increase quadrilateral cooperation with Japan, Australia, and India.” 

On Pakistan, the paper, believed to be the defining policy statement of US strategy for the coming months, there is a lot of tough love. It clearly states that the United States “continues to face threats from transnational terrorists and militants operating from within Pakistan.”

It also expresses concern that there are fairly high chances of an India-Pakistan conflict, which could lead to a nuclear confrontation and therefore calls for “consistent diplomatic attention.”

What will cheer Indian policymakers is the unambiguous recognition of India as a major emerging global power by the Trump administration. It also takes forward the current Indian government’s push for a seat at the high table.

This also takes forward the intentions declared in the joint statement issued on June 27 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Washington, DC. The statement underscored the need for a stable Indo-Pacific region and put emphasis on “respecting freedom of navigation, overflight, and commerce throughout the region,” which was interpreted as a statement made with China in mind. At that time Modi and Trump also called on “Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries.”

The security strategy paper also reiterates Trump’s earlier stance on Pakistan’s “destabilizing role” in Afghanistan, when he outlined his broad strategy in August. At that time he said, “Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict.”

The new strategy paper once again calls on Pakistan to desist from engaging in “destabilizing behavior” in Afghanistan. But what should be worrying for the army generals in Rawalpindi is a clear call to end its “support for militants and terrorists” who target US personnel as well as interests in the region. This, the strategy paper says, could undermine the historic strategic relationship between the US and Pakistan.

Putting Pakistan on notice, it says “no partnership can survive a country’s support for militants and terrorists who target a partner’s own service members and officials.”

Instead, it calls for Pakistan to take “decisive action against militant and terrorist groups operating from its soil.”

India is once again identified as a “major defense partner,” and the US promises to expand these ties. However, though India and the US have signed a logistics agreement – the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) – it is yet to see any meaningful exchange coming out of it. This was seen by strategic observers as a first concrete step in building a military alliance between India and the US, since joint military exercises on land, air and the sea have seen a considerable degree of interoperability between the two countries.

Of great interest to Indian strategy planners are the tough observations on China. Along with Russia, the paper calls China a “challenge to American power, influence and interests.” Trump and his team are facing a major probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and special prosecutor Robert Mueller over possible collusion with Russia in subverting the 2016 US elections.

The paper says that both these nations are attempting to “erode American security and prosperity,” a possible indication that the US administration recognizes Russia and China as major threats. It points out that both nations are also building advanced weapons and capabilities that can “threaten critical infrastructure” and the US “command and control” architecture.”

The paper paints China and Russia as “revisionist powers” who want to shape a world that is “antithetical to US interests and values” and is part of a troika of threats alongside rogue nations such as North Korea and transnational non-state actors such as jihadi terrorists.

The US stance on China will be of particular interest to India’s strategic planners. The confrontation between India and China over the Doklam Plateau earlier this year continues to simmer as Chinese troops build up positions on their side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction.

The paper notes that contrary to US hopes, “China expanded its power at the expense of the sovereignty of others in the region,” This, for New Delhi and other powers in the Indo-Pacific region, is a reaffirmation of the values that could shape the emerging “Quad” in the coming days as a bulwark to Chinese expansionism.

Sinister activities of the church need to be seriously investigated.

Sinister activities of the church need to be seriously investigated. Not only sinister. They have been put on 20 fishing vessels. Is there so much construction activity in that place for migrants to come in such big no.s. They were brought by the church with ulterior motives. Church has been poaching as usual to convert and get converts from all over India. You can see many people from North-East being brough to Bangalore and other favourable cities where the local government supports them.

No word yet on fate of migrants on 20 fishing boats

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2017/dec/14/no-word-yet-on-fate-of-migrants-on-20-fishing-boats-1726808.html



NAGERCOIL: The fate of migrant labourers on board the missing vessels from Vallavilai and other coastal villages at Thoothoor in Kanniyakumari district is not known.

Vallavilai Parish priest Fr Darwin told Express that the migrant workers from other States such as Assam and West Bengal were on board the missing mechanised boats, owned by people from eight coastal villages in Thoothoor.

He said that most of the migrant workers, who had gone for fishing, were not fishers by profession. They had earlier worked as construction labours.



Fr Darwin said that the boats from Thoothoor area mostly sailed from Kochi. Other boats sailed from the Thengapattinam and the Malappa coast.

He noted that of the close to 20 missing boats from Vallaviali, the migrant labourers were in a few of them and most of those boats ventured from the Kochi harbour.

“But we do not know their names and addresses,” he said. Only the fishermen in the boats knew their names, but all of them and their boats are missing, he said. What made the situation more grim was that the relatives of the migrant workers might not have been aware that they had gone for fishing, Fr Darwin said.

A fisherman, M Arokiaenico, a partner of a mechanised boat from Thoothoor, said that around 12 persons went for fishing in the boat that sailed from Kochi harbour before Ockhi hit. Of the 12, four were migrant workers from Assam, who had come to help us in fishing.

“Though our boat got caught in the the cyclone, we reached an island in Lakshadweep after a titanic struggle. We were given good treatment there by the authorities. We, including the migrant workers from Assam, returned to Kochi in the same boat,” he said. Arokiaenico added that before boarding, the migrant workers might have spoken to other migrant workers of Kochi or to their families. “We do not know how many of them are missing,” he said.

Another fisherman, Jelvis of Thoothoor said that he and other fishermen from the area and two from Assam had gone ventured from Kochi.

“After a hard struggle we, including the migrant workers returned,” he said. But two Assamese workers, who had gone along with other fishers from Thoothoor in a mechanised boat that set sail from Kochi before the cyclone, had gone missing, he added. The fisherman said that migrant workers from Assam, West Bengal and other Northern States set sail in a few boats to help the fishermen from the district. “But we do not know what happened to them,” he said.

When contacted, a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department said that as per available data of the missing fishermen, who had mostly sailed from the Kanniyakumari coast, four were migrant workers from Assam. We are in the process of collecting further details, he said.

New education methods will transform the way students learn-Mohandas Pai

New education methods will transform the way students learn, says Mohandas Pai 

 
Lalatendu Mishra : December 10, 2017 10:16 IST
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/new-education-methods-will-transform-the-way-students-learn-says-mohandas-pai/article21381640.ece

 

Education is set for massive transformation as technology is ushering in a new era in the field of learning, said T.V. Mohandas Pai, Chairman Aarin Capital. In the new scheme of things the student would be at the core and would decide as well as create her/his own degree at one’s own pace and medium. Mr. Pai, former Infosys CFO, and who is also Chairman, Manipal Global Education Services, explains what Education 4.0 is all about. Excerpts:
What is Education 4.0 and why is it important?

Education 4.0 is putting students at the heart of educational experience and creating individual learning experiences. Education 1.0 was the traditional method of students going to a Gurukul in India. Then came the universities as in Takshila and Nalanda in India.

Then Universities came up in Europe. Then you had the industrial revolution which demanded a large number of people who could be trained. There, student read books, sat down and listened to the teachers. They had a course, they had a curriculum and then they obtained a certificate to earn a livelihood.

In Education 4.0, students can create a degree of their own, are able to do a degree in nuclear science [combining it] with biotechnology, with dance, with music or with fundamental physics or something like that.

The mix and match is available and can be done offline or online. A student can sit at home do a course online and get a degree.

So, in Education 4.0 students can design their own course, learn offline or online and they can also make sure that they can learn at their own pace. At the end of it, they obtain a certificate that they can carry to job interviews.

 
How is it panning out?

It’s already happening in the world. Many students will ask themselves why they need a university degree? Why can’t they do things on their own?

Employers will ask what the value of a university degree is? It is happening but slowly in India because lots of people have a common education system and they still want a degree. We see change all over the world and in next 5-10 years we see acceleration and an increase in people taking such certification.
Will things change in India in next 2 to 3 years?

Totally. I see change very slowly but I see a time when many people are well settled. Then we ask the question why I should send my child to college when I can educate him at home and get a certification.
Will Education 4.0 see reality by 2020?

I think around the world it will pick up by 2020 and in India by 2025. Our problem is the government. Our problem is the UGC. And also remember we are long behind the curve... in America, 70% of people go to college, in Germany 80% and in Japan 88% of people go to college.

 
How do you enhance the quality of education?

For that we need to see which are the best institutes in the world and what the catalyst is. The best institutes are Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge and they are so good because they decide what they want to do.

They decide on courses, examinations... No Government and no regulator interference. The U.S. and U.K. governments just give money. We need to give full freedom to the top 100 education institutions and in the next five years we will see a change. We also need public funding for research. The government should have a ₹5,000 crore annual fund for research and all universities should bid for it.

 
Has the government brought about any reform in the education sector?

The biggest disappointment of the NDA government is that they have not done much in the education sector. Only now since Prakash Javdekar has come in do we see a focus on institutions of national importance.

 
We have not seen many institutions like Manipal….

It is because there is control. Government is not giving approval to private sector people. Those who gave bribes got the approval. At one point, there were 4,500-5,000 engineering colleges in one year. How did they come up? They all gave money. The system is rotten, it’s corrupt, and the bad people got it. Now, we are getting good universities. Jindal has put up a University, now Manipal has been there. And 5 to 6 people are coming up. I think Prime Minister should talk to billionaires of this country to come and up set up a University by putting ₹2000 crore each of their own money because you are a billionaire and can afford to spend.

 
Can we have Oxford or Cambridge type institutions in India?

We can. Give our universities research and see the magic in 5 years. Give them money for research and ask them to compete. Create a kitty of ₹5000 crore of public money. State and Central Government spend ₹40 lakh crore in a year on education.

India gets a step closer to laser weaponry as DRDO successfully tests laser system

India gets a step closer to laser weaponry as DRDO successfully tests laser system
 

Source - By Shaurya Karanbir Gurung https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-gets-a-step-closer-to-laser-weaponry-as-drdo-successfully-tests-laser-system/articleshow/61954646.cms


NEW DELHI: In a leap towards building laser weapons capability, India has made a breakthrough in its efforts to develop directed energy weapons, or DEWs, that can potentially end future wars before they begin.

It’s not exactly what we saw in Star Wars films or Flash Gordon comics decades ago, but DEWs such as high powered lasers can destroy enemy missiles, aircraft and advanced weaponry based on electronic circuitry.

India’s primary defence research organisation Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently conducted a successful test of a laser system mounted on a truck, and plans are now afoot to create a more powerful laser with a longer range, people familiar with the development told ET.

Private companies such as Kalyani Group and Rolls-Royce are also looking to develop or build DEWs in the country. DEWs are weapons that produce a beam of concentrated electromagnetic energy. There are mainly two types of DEWs: high powered lasers and microwaves. DEWs are anti-personnel as they can cause intolerable burning of an area in the body and blindness, and anti-material as it can be used to destroy missiles, ships, UAVs and fry circuitry of equipment deployed in a battlefield.

While information is not available on whether India is developing microwave weapons, DRDO tested a 1KW laser weapon system mounted on a truck at Chitradurga in Karnataka towards August end. “The laser beam hit a target located 250 metres away,” an official said. “It took 36 seconds for it to make a hole in the metal sheet.” The test was conducted in the presence of then defence minister Arun Jaitley, the person said.

The next step is to test a higher powered laser, 2KW, mounted on the truck against a metal sheet located at a distance of 1 km. Two DRDO laboratories — Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS) and Laser Science & Technology Centre (LASTEC) — are currently working on developing the source for generating the laser, officials said. At present, the source of the laser, which is the “heart of the system”, is imported from Germany.




Other challenges include developing a cooling mechanism for the system that heats up when the laser beam is fired, ensuring a focused beam towards a distant target and optoelectronics, or optronics, involving lenses to create that focus, they said. “The weapon is not ready yet and it will take years for it to happen,” said an official. DRDO did not officially respond to a questionnaire on the subject sent by ET to it as of press time Wednesday.

Private companies too are looking to enter DEW space. A senior official at Kalyani Group said Kalyani Centre for Technology and Innovation is in the “initial stages” of developing DEWs. “We are identifying two segments: ‘lethality’ to kill and ‘survivability’ aimed at destroying incoming missiles,” the person told ET. “We will initially be working on the latter and are setting up a lab in Pune.”

Rolls-Royce’s global strategic marketing director Ben Story, in a conversation with ET had recently said that there are “conversations” happening between the company and India on DEWs.

A release by Press Information Bureau back in December 2013 had confirmed that DRDO’s CHESS and LASTEC were researching on DEWs and laser technology, respectively. A 2015 DRDO bulletin titled ‘Technology Focus’ stated that LASTEC with the help of a collaborator had developed a unit of 1kW ‘single mode fibre laser’ and work was on for developing 5kW and 9kW fibre laser sources.

LASTEC has also developed a 10kW Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) and is working on developing a 30-100 kW vehicle-mounted COIL system, sources said.

New Battle Looms in Powerful Indian States as Modi Tightens Grip

New Battle Looms in Powerful Indian States as Modi Tightens Grip
 

Iain Marlow @iainmarlow https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-03/new-battle-looms-in-powerful-indian-states-as-modi-tightens-grip
December 4, 2017, 3:30 AM GMT+5:30


States led by India’s ruling party may enact reforms faster

State leaders the ‘defining factor’ in easing investment

Narendra Modi during an election rally in Himachal Pradesh on Nov. 5. Photographer: Shammi Mehra/AFP via Getty Images


Narendra Modi’s steady conquest of India’s state governments and his drive to unify taxes across the country are fueling a new competition between provincial chief ministers for investment in factories, businesses and jobs that is redrawing the country’s industrial map.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has extended control to a record 18 states, representing roughly 60 percent of India’s gross domestic product. That’s allowing Modi to erode decades of fighting between the central government and provincial leaders, who are responsible for everything from providing industrial land to law and order.

While Modi’s lack of a majority in the upper house of parliament hinders his ability to implement change at the federal level, the state-level victories give him the chance to speed up reforms like land acquisition and labor laws across a large part of the country. And by forcing even non-BJP chief ministers to compete for investment by providing infrastructure and cutting bureaucracy, rather than through tax breaks and corruption, businesses are being encouraged to invest in states that previously had little to offer.

 

 


"Over the past few years, we have seen a concerted effort by the central government to drive competitive federalism among states," said Abhishek Gupta, Mumbai-based India analyst with Bloomberg Economics. "Irrespective of political affiliation, we should see state governments competing against each other for business investment."

Modi is fueling the new competition by sending state governments a higher share of federal tax revenue. If his strategy works, and more of the country sees an economic boost, it could cement the BJP’s position in power and set up Modi for re-election in 2019.
 

Rajasthan Reforms

Since the BJP took power in poor, landlocked Rajasthan in 2013, the state government has tried to promote industrial growth by reforming labor laws, land purchasing rules and power distribution.

"Rajasthan is almost always among the leaders in terms of the highest number of positive regulatory changes," said Richard Rossow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "We have seen several BJP states in addition to Rajasthan tend to be among the leaders in enacting reforms."


BJP supporters celebrate the party’s victory in the Rajasthan state Assembly elections in Dec. 2013. Photographer: Deepak Sharma/AP Photo

The BJP administration has purchased land for factories directly from farmers to set up dedicated industrial areas, removing one of the traditional bugbears of trying to build a factory in the country. Land negotiations have frequently become bogged down in talks with conflicting groups, such as farmers and local officials, giving rise to corruption and legal disputes that could hold a project up for years.

One zone in Rajasthan, near the city of Neemrana was set up just for Japanese manufacturers, and now hosts Toyota Motor Corp. and Daikin Industries Ltd.

"They are friendly to industry," said Ram Narain Singh at his auto parts factory in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan.

The BJP-ruled state of Madhya Pradesh is now emulating Rajasthan’s labor law reforms, Capital Economics analyst Shilan Shah said in a Sept. 13 note.

 
Political Consolidation

The BJP has spread across India at a remarkable rate. In March, it came to power in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with 200 million people, as well as in the smaller states of Goa and Manipur. In July, the BJP helped form the government in Bihar, a state of 100 million, after a governing coalition collapsed. Polls suggest the BJP will retain power in Gujarat in elections in December and could wrest control of mountainous Himachal Pradesh from the opposition Congress party.

 


Rajasthan industry minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat said economic growth gets a boost when both the central and state governments are the same party, because policy cooperation is more likely.

"We believe that poverty cannot be alleviated by state investment alone,” Shekhawat said in his Jaipur office. “Poverty can only be eliminated by an accelerated pace of growth."

Despite a slump in India’s economic growth rate, partly thanks to the roll out of the goods and services tax and a shock move last November to demonetize much of the country’s currency, Modi remains popular among voters. A survey in May found he was the preferred prime minister for 44 percent of respondents and the BJP retained the level of support that gave it a sweeping victory in 2014.

Still, the easier political gains at a provincial level may be coming to an end for the BJP.

 
‘Difficult States’

"What are left are the more difficult states -- West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu -- where our presence has been negligible at best," said Yashwant Sinha, a senior party leader who was finance minister in a previous BJP government.

BJP or not, with states still wielding so much power, investors suggest the quality of the local chief minister is a big factor in a state’s performance.


Yogi Adityanath Photographer: Sanjay Kanojia/AFP via Getty Images

In Uttar Pradesh, the ruling party appointed Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath as chief minister. He immediately channeled Hindu cow worship into a campaign against "illegal" slaughterhouses. Soon after, executives at legitimate meat export businesses complained of official harassment and a steep drop in business. Adityanath also came in for criticism after dozens of children reportedly died at a government-run hospital that wasn’t paying suppliers.

Siddharth Nath Singh, Uttar Pradesh’s health minister, defended the chief minister’s actions and said the government acted firmly on the health crisis.

In Haryana, another BJP-ruled state, the party appointed newly-elected legislator Manohar Lal Khattar to the top job in 2014. He has come under fire for the state’s handling of a series of violent riots in August related to the arrest of a religious leader, including one that killed more than 30 people The violence mirrored a week of angry protests in 2016 that prompted Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. to temporarily halt production at two factories. Khattar has defended the police response during the unrest, while Congress party members called for Khattar’s resignation.

Neeraj Daftuar, who works in Khattar’s office, said the protests have roots predating Khattar’s appointment and that "it would be unfair if we were to judge him just on the law and order situation."


Riots erupt in Panchkula on Aug. 25. Photographer: EPA

"The recent law and order crisis in Haryana and the health tragedy in UP have complex causes, but the inability of the state to marshal an effective response cuts against Modi’s pledge to bring a dose of good governance to India’s states,” said Milan Vaishnav, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "This raises concerns not only for wary investors, but also for residents of the state."

The BJP has also advocated populist policies such as waiving farmer loans that could widen state fiscal deficits.

"Whether it’s a BJP state or a Congress state or a whatever state, it’s leadership that delivers results," said Salil Singhal, an Indian businessman who works in both Rajasthan and Gujarat. "There is now a competition among the states to say, ‘Things are better here than elsewhere, so come and invest in my state.’"

India re-elected to International Maritime Organization for 2-year term securing 2nd highest number of Votes

India has been re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation for the 2 Year Term, under a category that represents nations with the largest interests in international sea borne trade.

India was re-elected to the council under Category B at an assembly of the organisation at its headquarters in London. The Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Y.K. Sinha represented India at the assembly where India secured the second-highest number of votes (144) from member countries, just after Germany's 146 and ahead of Australia's 143.

The other countries to make the cut included France (140), Canada (138), Spain (137), Brazil (131), Sweden (129), the Netherlands (124) and the UAE (115).

The IMO Assembly has elected a new 40-member Council, its executive body responsible for supervising the work of the Organization. The Council performs all the functions of the Assembly, except that of making recommendations to Governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.

The electoral campaign was tougher than usual as 46 countries presented their candidature. In category A, there was no contested election, but unusually in Category B Australia and the United Arab Emirates challenged the group making it 12 candidates for 10 seats. Both countries succeeded in getting a seat on the Council, and Argentina and Bangladesh lost their seats. In category C, the challengers Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia did not gain seats in the Council.

The Members for the 2018-2019 biennium are:

Category A (10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services):China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States.

Category B (10 States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade):Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates.

Category C (20 States not elected above, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world): Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey.

The newly elected Council will meet, following the conclusion of the 30th Assembly, for its 119th session (on December 7) and will elect its Chair and Vice-Chair for the next biennium.

The IMO has 172 member states.

India has kicked off production of six new nuclear-powered attack submarines under the Make in India program

India has kicked off production of six new nuclear-powered attack submarines, which will greatly increase New Delhi’s naval power projection once completed.

The program to build own nuclear submarines was approved in February 2015. "It has kicked off and I will leave it at that. It is a classified project. The process has started," said Admiral Sunil Lanba, the top dog in the Indian Navy, on Friday.

At present, India has two nuclear-powered submarines: the domestically built INS Arihant and the INS Chakra, an Akula-class submarine that New Delhi has leased from Russia until 2022.

The new subs are part of the Make in India program, a key initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage both Indian and foreign companies to manufacture goods on the subcontinent.

Lanba added that the Indian Navy was ready to participate in the much-discussed quadrilateral coalition between India, the US, Japan and Australia. The four nations have strengthened ties in the face of a rising Beijing, with the US, Japan, and India cooperating during the July Malabar naval exercises that involved 18 warships.

"We are all aware of the prevailing security scenario in our maritime domain. The continued presence of both traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain demand constant attention and robust mitigating measures," Lanba told reporters.

New Delhi intends to expand its area of naval operations as far west as the Gulf of Aden and conduct a series of operational readiness exercises in 2018. "The continued presence of both traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain demand constant attention and robust mitigating measures," said Lanba.

China-India relations have hit a half-century low after the world's two most populous nations nearly went to war over the disputed Doklam Plateau over the summer.

More recently, PLA-N warships have been deployed to the Pakistani port of Gwadar, which Lanba described as a "security challenge" that India would "mitigate."

While nuclear submarines are expensive to produce, they are far superior to conventional diesel-powered electric submarines. They are faster, more powerful, more versatile and have a wider range since they can stay underwater for much longer without needing to resurface and refuel or recharge. Their additional range and power also make them perfect to equip with ballistic missiles.