Farms and ostriches: Devendra Fadnavis knows that loan waivers are not a durable solution (The Times of India - 13 June 2017)

     Maharashtra on Sunday announced a total farm debt waiver. Its conditions are not yet fully known but it will escalate costs beyond the Rs 30,500 crore waiver announced for marginal farmers. Next Punjab is expected to announce a waiver to fulfil the Congress’s electoral promise. But chief ministers are surely aware that these waivers are not a durable solution. A national loan waiver for farmers nine years ago, for instance, did nothing to solve structural problems. Instead, through the mechanism of loan waivers, agricultural distress is now morphing into fiscal dangers for states.

     Meanwhile violent farmers’ protests in Madhya Pradesh seemed to catch its state government napping. Over the last decade MP did have an impressive track record in wheat production. Focus on cereals however has blindsided policy makers to two parallel developments which have led to contemporary challenges. Last decade was characterised by enhanced private investment in agriculture in the form of tube well irrigation and intense input use. Simultaneously there was a shift to horticultural production, with enhanced risk of perishability.

     In MP, the value of output from fruits and vegetables more than doubled to 19.6% in the three years ending 2013-14. Even as Indian agriculture witnessed such structural changes, policy remained unchanged in its focus on the cereal economy. And the enhanced risks Indian farmers have been taking in the backdrop of greater variability in climatic patterns made them more vulnerable to shocks. Demonetisation definitely sent shock waves across the rural economy. The way out at this juncture is for the Centre and states to retool their agricultural policies. Intervention has to be smarter and designed to keep pace with the underlying changes.

     Government needs to focus on building infrastructure which links farmers to urban centres consuming horticultural products. It is only with the availability of adequate infrastructure that other schemes such as price stabilisation funds – to provide a floor price for farmers in years of glut – can be effective. India’s farm economy is intertwined with the rest of the economy. Therefore reforms in areas such as power will have a knock-on effect on agriculture too. The key to relieving agricultural distress is to replace the current policy of ad hoc interventions like farm loan waivers with one that holistically supports the transition away from a cereal-led rural economy.

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Perfect 10 at 31: Rafael Nadal’s exploits show athletes today are turning age on its head (The Times of India - 13 June 2017)

Rafael Nadal

     Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal has long been known by the moniker ‘King of Clay’. But it fails to do justice to his achievement this past Sunday when he won an incredible 10th French Open title – no tennis player before this has won a single Grand Slam 10 times in the Open Era. Consider also that Rafa today isn’t the dynamite 19-year-old that took the tennis world by storm. At 31, he is now a veteran of multiple serious injuries.

     It says something about modern sports science that despite the level of the game constantly increasing, players are finding ways to not just prolong their careers but also improve their performance in the would-be autumn of their professional lives. If it’s Rafa, Roger Federer (35), Serena Williams (35) and Leander Paes (43) in tennis, then there’s Tom Brady (39) in American football and Gianluigi Buffon (39) in soccer. Meanwhile, in cricket the likes of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni – both 35 – continue to enthral us.

    True, there have been athletes in the past who have pushed the boundaries of age. But what we are witnessing today is a growing crop of special players who are dominating their respective games despite their advancing years. This has only been made possible by advances in sports medicine that allow a player to withstand and quickly recover from punishing injuries. In Rafa’s case, injuries have cast doubts on his career several times before. But each time the Spaniard was able to bounce back and take his game to the next level. Rafa has certainly earned a legendary status in tennis and already set an incredibly high standard for youngsters in the game. And he looks set to raise the bar even higher.

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Farmers revolt: India’s farm distress needs structural solutions, quick fixes such as loan waivers won’t do (The Times of India - 8 June 2017)

     All of a sudden it seems to be Kashmir in Madhya Pradesh: at least five protesters shot dead in Mandsaur district, prohibitory orders and internet shutdowns enforced. The difference is that MP’s turmoil is not the outcome of a political protest led by separatists but rather an economic protest led by farmers; ironically, in a state often upheld by BJP as a model of agricultural progress. Elsewhere, in neighbouring Maharashtra, far-off Tamil Nadu or other states, farmers are seething with discontent – despite a normal monsoon last year and robust produce.

     This is testimony to the deep-seated crisis in India’s agricultural economy and must serve as a wake-up call to the Centre as well as state governments. The usual populist fixes – such as farm loan waivers – is not going to defuse this crisis. Rather, policy makers must now remove the structural bottlenecks in India’s farm economy. Agriculture supports more than half of India’s population but makes up just 15% of its economic activity. It follows that holistic solutions to farmer distress will have to combine creation of non-farm jobs and enhancement of farm incomes.

     A bird’s eye view of agriculture points to an anomaly. Around 77% of farmland is devoted to staples such as cereals. This results in output almost equivalent to what high value crops such as fruits and vegetables yield on less than 20% of the land. Rectifying this mismatch will solve many problems. This is where government policy has a crucial role to play. The Indian farmer has to function in an overregulated environment made worse by capricious bans on exports. This is compounded by restrictions on internal food trade, unfounded fear of new technology such as genetically modified crops and the new bogey that has coincided with the unchecked rise of gau rakshaks: restrictions on cattle trade.

     States have a crucial role to play here as they make policy on marketing of high value perishables such as fruits. For example, when Karnataka took the initiative a couple of years ago by creating an online marketplace and breaking the grip of vested interests, there was marked increase in prices received by farmers. Better designed farm insurance policies which provide timely relief can mitigate adverse climatic impacts. A combination of lighter and smarter regulation and improvements in areas such as insurance will make a critical difference.

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Unsafe for women: Gurgaon-Manesar gang rape shows little has changed since Nirbhaya (The Times of India - 8 June 2017)

     The horrific gang rape of a 19-year-old woman by three men, who also murdered her eight-month-old baby in Haryana’s Gurgaon-Manesar area, once again highlights the utter lack of safety for women. The survivor was attacked when she, along with her baby, was on her way to her in-laws’ place in a shared autorickshaw. The driver and two co-passengers raped her at a deserted plot and threw her baby on to a concrete median verge. Even though almost five years have passed since the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case which shook the conscience of the country and compelled lawmakers to pass tougher laws against sexual crimes, the Gurgaon-Manesar incident shows little has changed on the ground.

     This appears to be particularly true of Haryana where reports of gang rapes in Murthal during the Jat quota agitation last year had shocked the public. Initially, the Haryana government was reluctant to even acknowledge the gang rapes but later backtracked. More recently, investigation into the brutal gang rape and murder of a woman in Haryana’s Rohtak revealed that the police had ignored complaints made against the main accused months before the crime. In the Gurgaon-Manesar incident, police would not file a rape case in the first instance and allegedly told the survivor they were too busy with the President’s visit.

     All of this highlights a clear failure of basic law and order. Unless this is remedied, simply enacting stringent laws will not suffice. Add to this India’s noxious VIP culture, prioritising security for politicians but not the common man. Authorities like to quip that mindsets need to change to eradicate heinous sexual crimes. This is a copout. Ensure proper policing and high rates of conviction, and the rest will follow.

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Arab split: Qatar’s isolation by its neighbours exacerbates Middle East tensions (The Times of India - 7 June 2017)

     With Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cutting off ties with Qatar, the Arab world has plunged into further turmoil. Yemen, Libya’s eastern-based government and the Maldives too have joined the ban against Qatar which sees a severing of diplomatic ties with Doha apart from blocking off land, air and sea routes to the gas-rich nation. The immediate provocation for the move appears to be statements purportedly made by Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, supporting Muslim Brotherhood and criticising the Sunni coalition against Iran. However, tensions have been brewing over Qatar’s actions within the Gulf Cooperation Council for years.

     Qatar’s position within the coalition of Gulf Arab nations has been different from other members. Although Doha sees itself as a neutral mediator, its support for groups representing political Islam such as the Palestinian Hamas and the Brotherhood has riled Riyadh. Plus, Qatar is seen as soft on Iran with which it shares the world’s largest gas field. That Qatar’s isolation by its powerful neighbours comes just weeks after US President Donald Trump used his Saudi visit to squarely blame Iran for fuelling extremism in the region may not be a coincidence. Riyadh could be using this opportunity to curb dissent within the Sunni flock and get them to line up behind it.

     The ban against Qatar will certainly hurt the Qatari economy, which will impact the many Indians working there. Most of Qatar’s food supplies are imported via Saudi Arabia and Doha has emerged as an international aviation hub. These are bound to be affected. However, signs are that Qatar is looking to negotiate its way out of the blockade, having stated that the statements attributed to Sheikh Thani were the handiwork of hackers. If the US is not in its corner, Qatar has few options.

     This is a pity as Shia-Sunni sectarian strife will only provide a fillip to terror groups such as Islamic State. What’s needed is for Arab countries to work out a compact with Iran. Given US interests in the region, this is precisely what Washington ought to be facilitating. As far as India is concerned, New Delhi has done well to state this is an internal matter for the Gulf countries to handle. Its only focus should be to provide assistance – if required – to Indians in Qatar.

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No vendetta: CBI actions against NDTV raise disturbing questions on media harassment (The Times of India - 7 June 2017)

     CBI’s searches this week at the residence and other properties of the promoters of NDTV, Prannoy and Radhika Roy, raise a number of disturbing questions. While no one is above the rule of law, the latter should not be arbitrary and whimsical. As the Editors Guild’s expression of “deep concern” over the raids rightly emphasized, entry of police and agencies into media offices is a serious matter and should not be undertaken lightly. Details of the case registered against the Roys are unfortunately bound to lead to questions about the functioning of CBI.

     The essence of the case is that the Roys, acting in collusion with some officials of ICICI Bank, carried out inappropriate financial transactions about a decade back. The complainant, however, is not the bank itself but a person claiming to be a shareholder of both NDTV and the bank. Barring the Roys, NDTV and a holding company no one else has been named in CBI’s First Information Report (FIR). This is odd given the myriad laws that have been allegedly violated by many entities.

     CBI needs to be perceived as fair-minded if it is to get rid of pejorative descriptions such as “caged parrot”. Moreover, it is the basic dharma of any democracy that governments have to live with criticism emanating from the media even if they do not like parts of it. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized recently, such criticism is healthy as it is the only way government mistakes and shortcomings can be highlighted. Muzzling the media means government is no longer accountable to society; moreover, it would radically undermine India’s soft power abroad at a time when Modi has done much good work raising its profile. As the country’s premier investigative agency, CBI must conduct itself in a manner where it is seen to act only out of the noblest of motives.

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Revolutionary move: Army’s willingness to open combat roles to women is a welcome development (The Times of India - 6 June 2017)

     Army chief Bipin Rawat has said that the army will open up combat roles to women. This announcement comes a year after the air force inducted three women pilots into its fighter stream. These are welcome developments and signify dismantling of gender barriers in defence services, a move that’s especially revolutionary in a patriarchal country such as India.

     Women have been engaged in combat roles in a handful of armies across the world, mainly in parts of Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Eritrea. Israel, which conscripts both men and women, even has mixed gender infantry battalions. The Indian army’s aim is to start the process by first inducting women into the military police. The induction of women into combat roles will necessarily have to be done in a gradual manner and military police is the best place to begin the process. Given the unique nature of the role of combatants and their need to function as a cohesive unit, it is essential that everyone meets the same qualifying standards. Experience in other armies shows that women can meet the same standards as men and their presence needs neither dilution in qualifying standards nor any other compromise.

     Currently, around 300 women are inducted as officers every year across the three arms of defence forces, but in roles that complement combat positions. The positive experience India has had in the last 25 years of inducting women officers on short service commissions provides enough evidence that women are as effective as men in defence services. It is to the credit of the army and General Rawat that they are opening up new avenues for women soldiers. Given changes in the army and air force, it is reasonable to expect the navy will soon deploy women in warships.

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London attack again: Democracies must coordinate better to get a grip on terrorism (The Times of India - 6 June 2017)

     The latest terrorist attack in England where three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing patrons in Borough Market – killing seven and injuring another 48 – shows how difficult it is to prevent such terror plots. This was the second attack on a bridge in London within three months. On March 22 a vehicle had similarly ploughed into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge before the driver fatally stabbed a police officer, killing five people. The modus operandi of the attacks shows they are highly localised and carried out by radicalised individuals with little or no centralised networks, sophisticated weapons or bombs.

     In fact, it would be fair to assume that with the Islamic State (IS) terror group crumbling and losing territory in Iraq and Syria, such lone wolf, autonomous terror strikes will be IS’s chosen mode of operation. The use of cars, trucks and rudimentary weapons such as knives shows that hardly any training or equipment is needed for these individuals to carry out terror plots and get past sophisticated security systems. Second, plural and democratic societies are uniquely vulnerable to terror attacks, which often target citizens enjoying their economic and cultural freedoms.

     The best counter, therefore, would be for democracies to strengthen each other by improving anti-terror coordination and intelligence sharing. Moreover, there’s also a case for Western nations led by the US and UK to avoid radical swings and have a more settled and stable approach in their foreign policies, particularly with respect to volatile regions of the world such as the Middle East. There’s no denying that the US military intervention in Iraq under the George W Bush administration, aided by the UK, followed by a hands-off approach during the Barack Obama years, created conditions for the rise of IS. Today, President Donald Trump oscillates between threatening to bomb IS into history and urging travel bans on people from Muslim nations.

     

     Democracies must realise that Islamist terror groups want to provoke knee-jerk reactions from them so that the extremists can continue to peddle their ‘Islam-under-attack’ propaganda and recruit more foot soldiers to their radical cause. Hence, the best approach would be to deny them such an opportunity, defend democratic and secular values, and pool resources as well as coordinate counterterrorism policy, which must be sharp and specific instead of all-encompassing and vague.

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Coaching blues: Indian cricket team faces a tough off-field challenge at the Champions Trophy (The Times of India - 5 June 2017)

     Team India took to the field against Pakistan to defend its ICC Champions Trophy title amidst a raging controversy – over reported differences between captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble. Though Kohli has denied these reports, it must be distracting for the team how BCCI invited applications for the post of head coach just as it landed in England to play a prestigious tournament. Until then Kumble’s one-year contract was widely expected to be renewed given the team’s impressive performance under him, with five Test series wins in a row.

     This controversy raises fundamental questions about continuing lack of professionalism in cricket governance. Why did the Committee of Administrators (CoA) leave such an important decision to be made at the very end of Kumble’s tenure (which concludes with the Champions Trophy)? Perhaps the captain has expressed concerns only at this juncture but if his view is so important, he should anyway have been consulted earlier instead of creating a situation that adversely affects team morale during a very competitive overseas tournament.

     This is disappointing especially as expectations ran high from the Supreme Court appointed CoA which took over running BCCI affairs from January 30. CoA member Ramachandra Guha has resigned during this cricketing firestorm but not without raising more troublesome questions – about how CoA has been unable to resolve the sensitive issue of conflict of interest, which was critical to its replacing the established BCCI leadership. Too much of cricket administration continues to be person-specific rather than principle-based.

     Take the case of Rahul Dravid who is India A and India under-19 cricket coach who has been given a 10-month contract by BCCI. This allows him to double up as mentor of Delhi Daredevils during the remaining two months in IPL season. To secure his exclusive services BCCI would have to give him a longer-term contract and enhanced compensation, because today such services have a market that’s high-paying and global. Basically CoA needs to replace non-transparent loopholes with a holistic and impersonal approach to conflict of interest among coaching and support staff. Meanwhile, the likes of Virender Sehwag and Tom Moody have thrown their hat in the ring to replace Kumble. Competition as such is well and good. But as Justice Lodha points out, what’s unfortunate is how the atmosphere surrounding this coach selection has been vitiated.

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EVMs win: Politicians making wild allegations against EVMs totally fail to back these up (The Times of India - 5 June 2017)

     This weekend, a challenge issued by the Election Commission to doubters to prove that electronic voting machines could be tampered with ended predictably: no one took up the challenge. Thus parties like BSP and AAP whose leaders have loudly cried EVM tampering stand exposed as sore losers, who would do well to introspect rather than blame the machine post-elections.

     EVMs have been an important instrument in strengthening Indian democracy. The credit for their introduction should go to EC which successfully manages the monumental task of conducting elections in a country with about 850 million registered voters. Elections in the era prior to EVMs were often marred by booth capturing. On occasions, the number of invalid votes exceeded the margin between the first and second spots thereby vitiating the electoral process. These problems have been overcome by the introduction of EVMs. Electoral reforms are an ongoing process and we are on the threshold of the next big improvement. VVPAT, or voter verifiable paper audit trail, was used in some constituencies in the recent assembly elections. With NDA government ready to financially back this change, the next general election is expected to be conducted using VVPATs.

     India’s political parties have a responsibility to support EC efforts to enhance the integrity of the electoral process. Three general elections and numerous assembly elections have been conducted using EVMs. A reduction in the incidence of polling related violence has been one of the many benefits of this reform. Instead of trying to undermine this reform and campaigning for the resurrection of a paper based manual system, political parties should work with EC to bring about further reforms. A meaningful debate on electoral funding, for example, needs ideas from political parties.

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Exit America: Trump drops Paris Accord, hurts world and US (The Time of India - 03 June 2017)

President Donald Trump’s announcement that America is pulling out of the Paris Accord on climate change mitigation reneges on past US commitments and sends a negative signal to the world. The 2015 Paris agreement had got more than 190 countries to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and restricting the rise in global average temperature to below 2 degree celsius above pre-industrial levels. The previous US administration had played a major role in facilitating the historical accord by committing to overdue emission cuts. Trump now wants to reverse this under the garb of protecting American jobs. This is myopic strategy, drastically curtailing American soft power and leading to the US ceding its leadership role in the world.

Trump has sought to project the Paris Accord as discriminatory towards the US. He even alleged that it allowed India to double its coal production by 2020 and condition its mitigation efforts on billions of dollars in aid. This is false as coal plants are fast losing their charm in India due to falling prices of renewables such as solar. Plus, India has committed to achieving 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel resources by 2030.

Add to this the fact that according to 2013 data per capita CO2 emission in the US was 16.4 metric tonnes, whereas India’s was just 1.6 metric tonnes. Hence, Trump has ignored the US’s historic responsibility for being the world’s biggest polluter. He can hardly pitch for mitigation equivalence when the industrial starting line was never the same, nor are even current per capita emissions remotely close. Now, as climate change hits poor countries hard, they will only blame America. And an authoritarian power such as China could take its place in the world’s affections, making it tough for the US to conduct its foreign policy.

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Legs and the man: How Priyanka schooled the sanskari fashion police (The Time of India - 03 June 2017)

Memo to morality police: Priyanka Chopra doesn’t care what you think of her clothes, attitude or body. She posted a photo of her Berlin meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, only to find it crawling with trolls. They asked how she could wear such an immodest dress in front of Modi, lectured her on Indian values, berated her for sitting with her legs crossed, a ‘disrespectful’ posture.

PeeCee did not explain, defend her dress or genuflect to ‘Indian culture’. Instead, she posted another picture of herself with her mother, both in short skirts, with the caption, ‘Legs for days’. Now that’s owning her body – the point of a pair of legs is not to look perfect, or decorous, or to be revealed and hidden according to patriarchy’s instructions. They’re meant to carry a person around, whether she’s in a sari or a bikini or a burqa or a dress. They are simply part of the body she lives in, and will not be shamed about. That photo of her cuddling with her mother was not about presenting a flawless facade, it was simply being easy in her skin.

Now, if only all those obsessing over her exposed calves had a fraction of that calm confidence. Sadly, these slutshaming ‘sanskari’ men can only slot women into two types: virginal good girls and vessels of family honour, or sex-objects to snigger and salivate over. So more power to Priyanka, for being herself with no apologies.

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Peacock theory: When a legal eagle sings paeans to the national bird (The Times of India - 02 June 2017)

     

Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma, formerly of Rajasthan high court, has done more for India’s national bird, the peacock, than any other brother judge in the country. On the last day of his term, the legal eagle catapulted the peacock from the ornithological pantheon into the social media stratosphere by sharing his exceptional insights on this majestic bird. According to Justice Sharma, the peacock was declared the national bird because it did not need to mate with a peahen to procreate – the peahen simply drinks the tears of the peacock to get pregnant.

     No sooner had the learned judge made this stunning proclamation, the birds on social media started tweeting away with gay abandon. Suggestions ranged from conferring the Nobel Prize on Justice Sharma to possible aphrodisiacs for the national bird – Arijit Singh’s tearjerker songs being top of the list. Besides being an expert on all things birdy Sharmaji is very knowledgeable about cows, saying with all its holy qualities the cow should be declared the national animal – he actually made this suggestion while disposing of a petition in his court.

     Never mind that the tiger is genuinely endangered and majestically deserving of the protection accorded to it by the national animal status. In Sharmaji’s menagerie, celibate peacocks and holy cows rule the roost. True, some have also contended that the learned judge’s insights about the animal world are a bit batty. But in these post-truth times, these wise owls are missing the peacock for its tail-feather. In delivering a unique swan song, Justice Sharma has shown that birds of a feather do not necessarily flock together. For sometimes one does fly over the cuckoo’s nest.

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GDP slowdown: Demonetisation’s fallout has hurt the economy but there are reasons to be optimistic (The Times of India - 02 June 2017)

     

India’s economy, or gross domestic product, grew a disappointing 6.1% in the January-March quarter of 2016-17. This growth rate however was not surprising. A deceleration in the pace of economic growth was evident from the beginning of the financial year. This was worsened by the disruption on account of demonetisation. Despite a slowdown in economic growth some positive features such as macroeconomic stability are reasons to remain optimistic. But they need to be complemented by a sharper approach to economic policy making. This will put India on an elevated economic trajectory.

       The highlight of January-March quarter data is that the widely anticipated fallout of demonetisation showed up. Sift the data and what is apparent is that agriculture was a saving grace on account of a good monsoon last year, and government spending shored up consumption. But it is worrisome that construction, a key provider of jobs for surplus rural labour, shrunk by 3.7%. Demonetisation appears to have taken a toll here. Other areas in the economy’s service sector such as trade have also been adversely affected by demonetisation. Consequently, the quarterly growth in gross value added was just 5.6%, the fourth consecutive quarter which witnessed a slowdown.

      GDP data also showed that some of the longer term problems continue to cast a shadow on the economy. The anaemic pace of increase in bank credit and a contraction in fresh investments checked economic momentum. Fixed investment as a proportion of GDP has been declining which means demand from consumers is the main driver of economic momentum. This feature is linked to troubles of banks. Indebted corporates have not been able to service their loans to banks, which has led to the latter’s problems of bad loans – making banks risk averse when it comes to disbursing fresh loans. The end result of these enduring problems is that the economy is functioning below potential.

      Looking ahead, there is reason to be optimistic, as some of the problems on account of demonetisation have faded following the introduction of new currency. But other enduring problems need to be forcefully tackled. The recent ordinance empowering RBI to deal with bad loans needs to be followed through. Government should also be ready to recapitalise banks that have to take a hit on account of resolving bad loans. Once health of banks improves, the Indian economy will be on a firmer footing.

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Temple politics: Adityanath visit to disputed site in Ayodhya sends out communal signals (The Times of India - 01 June 2017)

Yesterday in a highly choreographed move full of political symbolism, Yogi Adityanath became the first Uttar Pradesh chief minister in 15 years to visit the disputed Ram janmabhoomi/ Babri mosque site in Ayodhya. This is just a day after a special CBI court in Lucknow framed charges of criminal conspiracy in the 1992 Babri demolition case against top BJP leaders including LK Advani, MM Joshi and Union minister Uma Bharti. Adityanath met these three senior leaders before they appeared in court and in Ayodhya he was accompanied by Dharam Das, against whom also conspiracy charges have been framed. This sends a disturbing signal, with UP’s ruling party appearing to take sides when it should be conveying neutrality.
Adityanath offered prayers at the banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya. He should have gone a step ahead and also met leaders of the Muslim community who are party to the dispute. This would have been in line with the top court’s assessment that it would be best to settle the dispute amicably. Extending the olive branch could go a long way in disentangling an issue that appears intractable to most outsiders. It would also put pressure on the warring parties to make a reasoned argument, if they resist efforts to bring them to terms.
The CM’s Ayodhya visit is part of a larger pattern. Since BJP came to power in March, four UP cabinet ministers have already visited the makeshift temple at the disputed site. Rather than upping the ante on such an emotive and explosive dispute, Adityanath must focus on bread and butter issues such as providing employment to local youth, reviving industrial and agricultural growth in the state or providing it 24×7 power supply as promised in the BJP election manifesto.

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Modi in Germany: India must cement mutually beneficial ties with an evolving EU (The Times of India - 01 June 2017)

Marking growing warmth in bilateral ties, India and Germany have signed a slew of pacts covering cyber security, urban development, vocational education and infrastructure during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the European nation. In fact, Modi even took the opportunity to emphasise that India and Germany are made for each other. There’s great scope for synergy. German investments in Indian infrastructure under the Make In India framework or the Smart Cities initiative can do wonders for the Indian economy. Meanwhile, India is a huge market for German companies – an equation that Berlin would like to strengthen further.

Germany today is looking for stable partners in the developing world in light of uncertainties in the overall global order. Europe, for example, is undergoing fundamental shifts following Brexit. Add to this US President Donald Trump trying to modify America-Europe relations by asking EU members to shoulder greater responsibility for their defence. Trump has also criticised the American trade deficit with Germany, stating this needed to change. All of this compelled German Chancellor Angela Merkel to comment that the US and UK may no longer be completely reliable partners.

It’s in this context that Modi’s ongoing Europe tour needs to be seen. Germany has decided to play the role of sheet anchor of EU and is even quietly going about laying the foundation of a combined European defence force by integrating military divisions from smaller European nations. Then there is Germany’s determination on climate change mitigation efforts – something that isn’t shared by Trump. And with Emmanuel Macron – a strong Europhile – being elected French President, the Germany-France relationship is likely to shape the future direction of Europe. This is precisely why Modi’s schedule also includes visits to Spain and France. As EU evolves, India would do well to reaffirm its support to the European bloc and push for investments and technology transfers.

Besides, it needs to be borne in mind that China too is eyeing developments in EU for its own strategic interests. For New Delhi to not lose out to Beijing, the former should devote more resources to actualising the India-EU free trade agreement. As Europe emerges from America’s shadows it will become a veritable standalone pole of the multipolar global order. India needs to capitalise on this and take ties with the continent to the next level.

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