Delhi Guardian

The Uttarakhand Government has been lurching from one crisis to another. It has lost both direction and purpose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the hilly State of Uttarakhand was eagerly anticipated by many. He did not hesitate to hurl a volley of criticisms on the Congress Government. Modi's oratory was at its best when he promised to build a twin engine of governance between New Delhi and Dehradun in order to propel the State to greater heights and mitigate the plethora of development concerns which beset Uttarakhand. After the slew of uncertain events which have buffeted the State in recent years, the BJP's prospects of wresting victory from a decrepit Government seem all the more sanguine. Prime Minister Modi’s unequivocal commitment to lead the party to victory in the State poll early next year reverberated with the throng of people who attended his rallies. There was this palpable energy and a sense of inexplicable optimism in the hearts and minds of peo...

Regional trading agreements, hawkish protectionist policies, a fractured EU and diverging concerns are the new stumbling blocks that are hindering the successful conclusion of the Doha talks, writes Ishaan Saxena This November marked 15 years since the Doha round of negotiations, under the aegis of the World Trade Organisation ( WTO ) began. An ambitious round of negotiation, the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) round addressed a plethora of concerns and envisioned a revamped global trade platform reflecting the needs of the developing countries. Initially, scheduled to end by 2005, the negotiations have been moving at a rather slow and uncertain pace. Deadlocks between developed and developing countries continue to persist over a number of issues; most notably in the areas of farm subsidies and tariffs. Furthermore, global developments such as Brexit and the US elections have led to a profound power transitions, and perceptible changes in the foreign policy of major global players...

The Congress is worried that the Modi Government has made two bold moves in less than two months, which it cannot challenge: Surgical strikes in Pakistan and withdrawal of high denomination notes to combat black money It is a strange feeling. All of a sudden, the esoteric discipline of economics — long left to the inscrutable minds of economists — is in the limelight. Everybody seems to be propounding his or her own grand view on the state of affairs and the consequences of the demonetisation move. These range from inflation, deflation to an impending financial emergency. The end result, and we have a reason to be optimistic, will hinge on a constellation of different factors over the coming months. Rampant pessimism, which has permeated the discourse on black money, is an impulsive reaction. John Kenneth Galbraith, the renowned economist and a firm advocate of liberalism, once quipped, “Economics is an extremely useful form of employment for economists.” Economists are pre-dispo...

In an emphatic statement at a recent event in the state of Himachal Pradesh – a region familiar to many in Israel – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew comparisons between the two nations, which have for decades endured the scourge of terrorism. What he was referring to were the surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army in the wee hours of September 29 across the Line of Control – which serves as the de facto border between Indian and Pakistan in the restive state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Every time India bleeds as a result of dastardly attacks orchestrated by terrorists across the border, there are strident calls within the country to adopt the Israeli model of deterrence: inflicting heavy damage by introducing an element of surprise and unpredictability. A little over a week earlier, 19 Indian soldiers succumbed to their wounds from a terrorist attack on an army camp in Uri, J&K. The perpetrators were terrorists from Pakistan who had infiltrated the porous border...

  I do have the tendency to implode at the slightest transgression; be it a speeding car or someone littering the street. My wife calls me an angry old man. Fair enough. But what really startles me during seasonal festivities or in our everyday life in India is the profound disregard for the community. The convivial celebrators perturb me but and my visible disdain goes unnoticed by the authorities. Hindu temples and the purportedly religious patrons feel it is their right to disturb my sleep. I cannot even count the number of times their night long inordinate jagrans have roused me from my deep slumber. One time I mustered the courage to walk into a temple to educate them that there were more civilized ways to express their reverence than waking up the entire town in the wee hours of morning. “You have no problem with the call to pray in Mosques so don’t lecture us”, I was told in an impolite tone. I decided it was best not to argue with unintelligent people. They were too eng...

Though the World Bank’s latest Doing Business report’s ranking provides a grim picture of India, in reality the Modi Government has managed to brand India around the world as a favourable destination for foreign direct investment with a transparent framework The World Bank’s Doing Business ranking has unnerved many in the power corridors of Delhi. India’s ranking of 130 out of the 190 countries surveyed, paints a dismal picture. The euphoria surrounding the India story has been dampened and several leaders have vehemently rejected the ranking, calling them a poor reflection of the overall progress which has been made since 2014. Rankings can be a tricky indicator. Very often, important changes get obscured by statistics and the sheer volume of the parameters that are being scrutinised. India appears to have made remarkable changes in the business regulatory environment. We are on a promising growth trajectory and have every reason to be sanguine about the future prospects of the In...

If Pakistan is to get out of the mess that it is in, the ordinary citizens of that country will have to rise in protest against the state of affairs. They must compel their Army to keep away from political decision-making and force elected regime to govern effectively At the very onset of this piece, let me make it abundantly clear that I am no Right-wing chest-thumping patriot. I am an apolitical but rational observer.  As far as I can remember, I have always eschewed hawkish rhetoric and observed the minutiae of international relations with enduring patience and a degree of pragmatism. I have always deplored bans ranging from movies, books, alcohol and meats. But the recent terror attack in Uri and a recalcitrant neighbour have compelled me to revisit what I staunchly felt. Dealing with the scourge of terrorism emanating from the western border requires a multi-faceted and draconian approach. Hard decisions need to be made before the spectre of terrorism threatens our way...