Factsheet: India and Japan - Partners for Common Development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on an official visit to Japan from 30 August - 3 September 2014. He held the Annual Summit meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today. The two Prime Ministers issued a Joint Statement thereafter. They instructed respective relevant authorities to further enhance cooperation in the following cooperation programmes and projects. Infrastructure 1. The Japanese side announced the launch of a feasibility study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) of a project for setting up of a 10 MW canal-top grid connected solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Gujarat as a model for next generation infrastructure. 2. The Indian side appreciated Japanese yen loan pledges of 50 billion yen (approximately 500 million US dollars) for the Public-Private Partnership Infrastructure Financing Project to the India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL), and of around 15.6 billion yen (approximately 156 million US dollars) for the Guwahati Sewerage Project in Assam. 3. Both sides emphasized that the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project should result in a new era of industrial infrastructure development with the creation of new generation Smart Community projects across six states in India. 4. Both sides acknowledged that in addition to new manufacturing hubs, the DMIC Project will envisage the development of infrastructure linkages like power plants, assured water supply, high capacity urban transportation and logistics facilities as well as important interventions like skill development programme for providing employment opportunities to youth. 5. Both sides welcomed the progress made in the development of industrial cities at Dholera in Gujarat and Shendra-Bidkin in Maharashtra, and integrated industrial townships at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Vikram Udyogpuri near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. 6. Both sides expressed their expectation for introducing Japanese technologies and expanding Japanese investment in Mass Rapid Transit Systems (MRTS) with the possibility of adopting the most suitable financing scheme. Both sides directed the respective relevant authorities to start a feasibility study by JICA on a potential yen loan project for the MRTS between Gurgaon and Bawal in Haryana. 7. Welcoming the progress achieved in the Smart Community projects, viz. the Logistics Data Bank project, the Mega Solar Power project at Neemrana and the Seawater Desalination project at Dahej, both sides instructed their officials to accelerate the implementation of these Smart Community projects. The Indian side assured to resolve the outstanding issues regarding the Seawater Desalination project at Dahej, including tariff, water quality parameters, water sales, etc. Both sides hoped that these projects will demonstrate the uniqueness of cutting-edge Japanese technology in India. 8. Welcoming the rapid progress made in the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), including the finalisation of the perspective plan and the designation of three cities, viz. Ponneri in Tamil Nadu, Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Tumkur in Karnataka, as potential industrial nodes, both sides instructed their officials to expeditiously finalise the Master Plan and the Development Plan of the three cities by the end of March 2015. Prime Minister Modi directed relevant authorities to ensure the timely development of the infrastructure stipulated in Tamil Nadu Investment Promotion Programme (TNIPP), such as road development and, power and water supply. The Japanese side welcomed it. 9. Taking into account the positive effects of the TNIPP on India’s business environment improvement and infrastructure development, both sides shared the view that a similar programme may be extended to the state of Karnataka. 10. Both sides welcomed the signing of a Framework of Cooperation between the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan in the Roads and Road Transportation Sector. 11. The Indian side sought Japanese support in upgrading the ship-breaking yard at Alang Sosiya in Gujarat. 12. The Japanese side underlined Japan’s policy to promote people-centered investment with an emphasis on inclusiveness to have as many people as possible enjoy economic benefits of investment, enhanced social resilience to climate change, natural disasters, and capacity building. The Japanese side emphasized that promotion of such investment will lead to sustainable development. The Indian side welcomed this policy. 13. Both sides urged and supported the Asian Development Bank to enhance its capacity to address the region’s infrastructure and connectivity needs. Investment 14. Both sides appreciated the report submitted by the Business Leaders’ Forum and welcomed the proposal of a visit to India of a high level economic mission organized by Nippon Keidanren. 15. Both sides welcomed Japan becoming the partner country of the 21st International Engineering & Technology Fair (IETF 2015) to be held in New Delhi and expressed their expectation that this would lead to expansion of trade and investment between the two countries. Energy & Natural Resource 16. Both sides affirmed their intention to continue working together to further strengthen energy cooperation including energy efficiency, renewable energy and coal-fired generation technology field through the India-Japan Energy Dialogue. 17. Both sides welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of India and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in the field of new and renewable energy. 18. Both sides welcomed enhanced cooperation in construction of highly efficient and environment-friendly coal-fired power plants and progress on cooperation in Clean Coal Technologies (CCT) such as renovation and modernization of the plants and underscored the importance of cooperation in promoting these environment-friendly technologies in international fora. 19. Both sides welcomed the signing of the loan agreement between the State Bank of India and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for the super-critical coal-fired power project in Meja in Uttar Pradesh and the launch of a feasibility study by JICA of a potential yen loan project for Barauni super critical thermal power plant in Bihar. 20. Both sides welcomed substantial agreement on the commercial contract between Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) and Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) for the production of rare earths as a significant step in India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership, and reiterated their strong will for the finalisation of the commercial contract as well as the commencement of commercial production at the earliest. 21. Both sides welcomed progress of cooperative efforts in energy efficiency improvement, including steel, cement, and mechanical tools in India. Both sides applauded the MOU signed in August 2014 for the model project by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for energy management system in telecommunication towers. Both sides applauded progress of discussion on business cooperation in renewable energy after the first India-Japan Public-Private Round Table for Renewable Energy held in India in January 2014. 22. Both sides welcomed the technology exhibition and business matching activities being held by NEDO in India in September 2014. 23. Both sides welcomed progress in renewal of iron ore trade arrangement in 2015. Both sides recognized the importance of further cooperation regarding technologies and investments in iron and steel industry in India. Agriculture and Food 24. Recognizing the importance of agricultural development and establishing food-related infrastructure in India, both sides welcomed Japanese initiative to establish food value chain through Public-Private Partnership by introducing advanced irrigation systems and farming machines, and supporting the food industrial parks and cold chains development projects implemented by Indian government. Railways 25. Both sides welcomed the issuance of the interim report of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Railway, and expressed hope that the joint feasibility study will be completed by July 2015. 26. Both sides acknowledged continuing cooperation on upgrading the speed of passenger trains on the existing route to Semi-High Speed Railway system. 27. The Indian side appreciated the important role of Japanese ODA for various Metro and other urban transport projects in India. Both sides decided to cooperate on the Ahmedabad Metro Rail Project. Both sides decided to explore ways to enhance participation by Indian and Japanese industries in appropriate infrastructure projects in India including metro and other urban infrastructure projects. Both sides affirmed the importance of continuing ODA assistance for future Metro projects in a mutually beneficial manner. Civil Aviation 28. Both sides fully understand the importance of the enhancement of the bilateral relationship in the field of civil aviation, which would contribute to promotion of mutual exchange, and decided to strengthen cooperation including the acceleration of Preparatory Survey for New Dholera International Airport Development Project. Skill Development 29. Acknowledging the effort of ongoing planning for establishment of advanced skill development centers, both sides affirmed the importance of skill development as an important tool for promotion of skills and capacity enhancement of the local youth in the industrial corridors being developed in India and appreciated support of The Overseas Human Resources and Industry Development Association (HIDA) in their efforts to promote skill development in the DMIC Project. 30. Both sides highly appreciated the achievements of the Champions of Societal Manufacturing (CSM) Project as a valuable Japanese contribution to the development of the manufacturing sector in India. The Indian side welcomed Japan’s intention to launch a new sub-project named Village Buddha, which aims at leadership development for self-help groups in rural areas, taking into account the important role played by women in such groups. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) 31. Both sides welcomed further progress in ICT cooperation through activities of the Joint Working Group under India-Japan ICT Comprehensive Cooperation Framework between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of India and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan. 32. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the launch of concrete joint projects, such as Green ICT and Cyber Security Cooperation based on agreement of the first Joint Working Group in February 2014, and reaffirmed to enhance cooperation in the field of ICT. Disaster Risk Reduction 33. The Indian side welcomed Japan’s hosting the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai in March 2015. Both sides affirmed active participation in and close cooperation for the conference in order to adopt the succeeding framework of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. Regional Connectivity and Cooperation  34. Both sides welcomed the study by JICA on regional connectivity between North-East India and the neighboring countries, and instructed respective related authorities to proceed to realizing Japan`s ODA in transport infrastructure projects in the region. Both sides also welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Export-Import Bank of India and JBIC for enhancing infrastructure development collaboration between India and neighboring countries and promoting cross border business activities. 35. Both sides decided to strengthen cooperation in the field of connectivity and socio-economic development in Northeast India. The Japanese side announced a survey by JICA to identify possible cooperation including road connectivity projects in Northeast states of India. The Indian side appreciated assistance by Japan to Northeast India, including a number of projects in the field of forest resource management as well as those currently under feasibility studies by JICA such as a potential yen loan project for water supply improvement in Imphal, Manipur. Cooperation in Africa 36. Both sides expressed their commitment to strengthening their cooperation on Africa, including that for promoting business activities by Indian and Japanese investors in Africa. Both sides confirmed the importance of the next round of India-Japan Dialogue on Africa. Maritime affairs 37. Both sides directed the Joint Working Group to accelerate progress in the discussions and preparations for a road map for the development of the Indian aircraft industry through US-2 amphibian aircraft cooperation including the transfer of the aircraft and its technology to India. 38. The Indian side expressed its intention to strengthen defence equipment and technology cooperation and conveyed its interests in this regard. Both sides decided to discuss further to identify future areas of cooperation, taking into consideration specific interests. 39. Both sides welcomed the Dialogue between the Director General of Indian Coast Guard and the Commandant of Japan Coast Guard and the joint exercise between Indian and Japanese Coast Guards conducted off the coast of Kochi in January 2014. Both sides expressed their desire to further promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation on maritime issues and decided to hold the next bilateral dialogue in Tokyo and joint exercise off the coast of Haneda between Indian and Japanese Coast Guards in October 2014. Science & Technology 40. Both sides welcomed the developing researchers’ network through the alumni association organized by Indian researchers who have research experience in Japan under fellowship programme of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). 41. The Indian side welcomed Japanese side’s intention to invite young Indian researchers and students to Japan through JSPS Fellowship Program and Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science. 42. Both sides welcomed the signing of the Letter of Intent between the Ministry of Earth Sciences of India and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) to launch new cooperation in the field of ocean and earth science & technology, which includes ocean observation, climate variability, and geophysical studies in the Indian Ocean and deep sea technologies. 43. Recognizing the successful operation of the Indian Beam Line at High-Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) at Tsukuba as a flagship cooperative activity, both sides announced their decision to take forward this collaboration in structural materials science area to the second phase for the study of advanced materials. 44. Both sides decided to pursue further cooperation in the field of space through approaches such as Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) and expressed their expectation that Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) would work together to further strengthen its cooperation. 45. Both sides welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan in the field of healthcare. 46. Both sides also expressed their expectation to enhance development of medical devices which meet Indian needs through new initiative of joint research and development on medical devices of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Osaka University. 47. Both sides also noted with satisfaction the recent progress of the promotion of business under cooperative framework between Japanese company and Indian hospital in terms of establishment of advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment center in India. Humanities and Social Science Cooperation 48. Both sides welcomed that the signing of two memoranda between the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), and between JSPS and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). People-to-people exchanges 49. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the ongoing plan of exchange of approximately 1300 youth between the two countries under JENESYS 2.0 program. 50. The Indian side welcomed the Japanese initiative to support Japanese universities’ educational collaboration with Indian Universities, and engagements including dispatching coordinators to India. 51. Both sides emphasized the importance of cooperation in tourism and welcomed current efforts of promotional activities through Tourism Expos to encourage their citizens to travel to each other`s country. 52. Both sides decided to continue efforts to revise the Memorandum on Simplifying Visa Procedures between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of Japan which would further enhance people-to-people exchanges in business and tourism area. The Japanese side welcomed the decision by India to grant residence permits to Japanese nationals holding employment visas and their dependants, co-terminus with their visas. 53. Indian side welcomed the expansion of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) including the decision by the Government of Japan to dispatch a JOCV in the field of nursing to the state of Mizoram as the first JOCV in Northeast India. 54. The Japanese side welcomed a Festival of India in Japan which has been scheduled in two phases from October 3 - 31, 2014 and March - May 2015. The events in the festival would include 17 dance programmes covering 13 cities of Japan, the Buddha Mahotsava of Central Institute of Himalayan Studies, the Buddha Charica Exhibition by Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Buddhist Art Exhibition by Indian Museum, Kolkata, an International Buddhist Conference by the International Buddhist Confederation, a Food Festival by Ministry of Tourism, a Film Festival by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, a Literary Festival by Sahitya Akademy, folk dance performances by the Zonal Cultural Centres, and exhibitions covering the areas of yoga, information technology and space. Women empowerment 55. The Japanese side briefed the Indian side about the international symposium on women, the World Assembly for Women in Tokyo (WAW! Tokyo 2014) to be held in September 2014. 56. Both sides welcomed the Programme on Empowerment for Women Leaders in India to be held in November 2014 in Tokyo by HIDA.

Text of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s remarks at the Joint Press Briefing with Shri Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan at Tokyo,Japan

जापान आकर के मुझे बहुत ही प्रसन्‍नता हुई है। प्रधानमंत्री बनने के बाद मैंने निर्णय लिया था कि अपने पड़ोस के बाहर सबसे पहली बाईलेटरल विजिट जापान की होगी। यह मेरा सौभाग्‍य है कि प्रधानमंत्री आबे ने मुझे यहां प्रधानमंत्री बनने के 100 दिन के भीतर जापान आने का अवसर दिया और हमारी बहुत पुरानी जो दोस्‍ती है, उसको और अधिक मजबूत बनाया। यह इस बात का प्रमाण है कि भारत जापान को सबसे घनिष्‍ठ और विश्‍वसनीय मित्रों में समझता है और हमारी विदेश नीति में जापान की ऊंची प्राथमिकता है, क्‍योंकि भारत के विकास में जापान की महत्‍वपूर्ण भूमिका है और हम दो शांतिप्रिय लोकतांत्रिक देशों की साझेदारी, आने वाले समय में इस क्षेत्र और विश्‍व के लिए प्रभावशाली भूमिका निभा सकती है। जिस प्रकार से प्रधानमंत्री आबे ने क्‍योटो और टोक्‍यो में हमारा स्‍वागत किया है, सम्‍मान किया है और अपना अमूल्‍य समय दिया है, इसके लिए मैं हृदय से आभार प्रकट करता हूं। यह उनके भारत के प्रति प्रेम और विश्‍वास का प्रतीक है। यहां हर क्षेत्र के लोगों से मिलकर उनका भारत के प्रति प्रेम और आदर देखकर मुझे अत्‍यंत खुशी हुई। क्‍योटो में भेंट और एक शिखर सम्‍मेलन से मैं केवल संतुष्‍ट ही नहीं हूं, बल्कि मुझमें इस भारत और जापान की साझेदारी का विश्‍वास और गहरा हो गया है और मुझमें एक नया विश्‍वास और नई उम्‍मीदें जगी हैं। मेरे मित्र प्रधानमंत्री आबे ने हमारी चर्चा के बारे में काफी उल्‍लेख किया है और आपके सामने ज्‍वाइंट स्‍टेटमेंट और फैक्‍ट शीट भी है। इसलिए मैं, उन बातों को दुहराना नहीं चाहता हूं। मैं इस संबंध में शिखर सम्‍मेलन को किस दृष्टिकोण से देखता हूं, उस विषय पर कुछ शब्‍द कहना चाहता हूं। आज सबसे महत्‍वपूर्ण बात यह है कि हमने स्‍ट्रेटेजिक एंड ग्‍लोबल पार्टनरशिप को अब स्‍पे‍शल स्‍ट्रेटेजिक एंड ग्‍लोबल पार्टनरशिप का दर्जा देने का निर्णय लिया है। भारत और जापान की स्पिरिचुअल पार्टनरशिप कालातीत है। वह समय के बंधनों से बंधी हुई नहीं है। लेकिन आज शासकीय दायरे में ये स्‍पेशल स्‍ट्रेटेजिक एवं ग्‍लोबल पार्टनरशिप के रूप में आप सबके सामने हम खड़े हैं। मेरी दृष्टि से यह सिर्फ शब्‍द नहीं है। ये एक कोई एक कैटेगरी से दूसरी कैटेगरी में जाना, इतना ही नहीं है, हम दोनों देश इस विषय में अत्‍यंत गंभीर हैं और मुझे विश्‍वास है कि हमारे यह संबंध का नया रूप अधिक परिणामकारी और अधिक दायित्‍वपूर्ण रहेगा। ये स्‍पेशल स्‍ट्रेटेजिक इसलिए है कि भारत के विकास और परिवर्तन में जापान की आने वाले दिनों में और अधिक महत्‍वपूर्ण भूमिका रहने वाली है। आज प्रधानममंत्री आबे ने आश्‍वासन दिया है, एक प्रकार से शपथ ली है, कि भारत के इंस्‍क्‍लूसिव डेवलपमेंट में वह जापान का नए स्‍तर से सहयोग को और साझेदारी देंगे। हम लोग भली-भांति समझ सकते हैं कि आज प्रधानमंत्री आबे ने 3.5 ट्रिलियन येन, यानी कि अगर मैं भारत के रुपये के संदर्भ में कहूं तो 2 लाख 10 हजार करोड़ यानी कि 35 बिलियन डालर के पब्लिक और प्राइवेट इंवेस्‍टमेंट और फाइनेन्सिंग अगले पांच सालों में भारत में करने का लक्ष्‍य रखा है। मैं उनके इस महत्‍वपूर्ण निर्णय का हृदय से स्‍वागत करता हूं। यह किसी एक क्षेत्र तक सीमित नहीं है। प्रधानमंत्री जी ने मेरे विजन को समझते हुए हर क्षेत्र में सहयेाग देने का आश्‍वासन दिया है। आज मैं आपसे जब गंगा शुद्धीकरण की बात कर रहा था तो तुरंत उन्‍होंने कहा कि आप तय कीजिए कि आपको क्‍या मदद चाहिए। एक‍ विकसित और तेज गति से बढ़ता भारत न केवल एक विशाल आर्थिक अवसर रहेगा, जिससे जापान को भी बहुत लाभ मिलेगा, बल्कि वह दुनिया में लोकतांत्रिक शक्ति को मजबूत करेगा और स्थिरता बढ़ाने में एक बहुत बड़ा कारण रहेगा। मैं समझता हूं कि इसमें दोनों देशों का लाभ है और भी एक बात है कि हमारे संबंध सिर्फ आर्थिक रूप में नहीं हैं, बल्कि इस संबंध में और भी कई आयाम जुड़े हुए हैं। हम राजनीतिक संवाद और सहयोग को एक नए स्‍तर पर, एक नई ऊंचाई पर ले जाने के पक्ष में हैं। हमने हमारे रक्षा क्षेत्र क्षेत्र के संबंधों को भी एक दिशा देने का निर्णय लिया है। न केवल आपसी बातचीत और अभ्‍यास को बढ़ाने का, और मित्र देशों के साथ इन अभ्‍यास को करने का बल्कि टेक्नोलॉजी और इक्विपमेंट के क्षेत्र में भी साझेदारी बढ़ाएंगे। दोनों देशों का भविष्‍य सामुद्रिक सुरक्षा के साथ भली भांति जुड़ा हुआ है। कई और क्षेत्रों में जैसे एडवांस टेक्‍नोलॉजी, रसायन, शिक्षा, टेक्‍नोलॉजी, अनुसंधान और विकास ऐसे क्षेत्र में भी दोनों देशों के लाभ के लिए हम काम कर रहे हैं। समाज की चुनौती का समाधान ढूंढने के लिए हम भरसक प्रयास कर रहे हैं। विकसित भारत और सफल जापान, दोनों देशों के लिए यह लाभप्रद है। परंतु उससे अधिक महत्‍वपूर्ण यह है कि एशिया और विश्‍व में शांति, स्थिरता और स्‍मृद्धि बढ़ाने में बड़ा योगदान देंगे। ग्‍लोबल दृष्टिकोण से इसका यह अर्थ है कि भारत और जापान, एशिया के दो सबसे महत्‍वपूर्ण लोकतांत्रिक देश हैं और एशिया की तीन सबसे बड़ी इकोनोमी में शामिल हैं और हमारे संबंध इस पूरे क्षेत्र पर तो प्रभाव करेंगे ही, परंतु सारे विश्‍व पर भी इसका प्रभाव अनेक प्रकार से होने की संभावना, मैं देखता हूं। पूरा विश्‍व एक बात को मानता है भलीभांति और कनविंस है कि 21वीं सदी एशिया की सदी और पूरे विश्‍व में 21वीं सदी एशिया की सदी है, इसमें कोई कनफ्यूजन नहीं है। लेकिन 21वीं सदी कैसे हो, यह उस बात पर निर्भर करता है कि भारत और जापान मिल करके किस प्रकार की व्‍यूह रचना को अपनाते है, किस प्रकार की रणनीति आगे बढ़ते हैं, और कितनी घनिष्‍टता के साथ आगे बढ़ते हैं। यह काम हम भगवान बुद्ध के शांति और संवाद के रास्‍ते पर चलकर इस क्षेत्र में सभी देशों के साथ मिलकर इस लक्ष्‍य को प्राप्‍त करने का प्रयास करेंगे। दूसरा, इससे, दुनिया में कई विषयों पर जैसे नॉन पोलिप्रिफरेशन, स्‍पेस सिक्‍युरिटी, साइबर सिक्‍युरिटी, यू एन रिफार्मस और इस क्षेत्र के रीजनल फोरम्‍स में साथ मिलकर के हमारे जुड़े हुए हितों को आगे बढ़ा सकते हैं। तीसरा, हमारी साझेदारी अन्‍य क्षेत्र और विभिन्‍न देशों को लाभ पहुंचा सकती है, जहां हम साथ मिलकर काम कर सकते हैं, चाहे एशिया में हो या और क्षेत्रों में, आने वाले दिनों में हम इसे प्राथमि‍कता देने वाले हैं। स्‍ट्रेटेजिक पार्टनरशिप को जब हम स्‍पेशल स्‍ट्रेटेजिक पार्टनरशिप कहते हैं, तब इसका मतलब है कि पहले दोनों देशों के लिए इस संबंधों का महत्‍व बहुत बढ़ गया है। दोनों देशों की विदेश नीति में इस संबंध की प्राथमिकता नया रूप लेगी और हम दोनों देशों ने निर्णय लिया है कि इस संबंध को बढ़़ाने के लिए विशेष बल दिया जाएगा। हमारे सहयोग के अवसर की कोई सीमा नहीं है, ना ही दोनो तरफ इरादे और इच्‍छा की कोई कमी है। अगर हमारे पोटेंशियल को हासिल करना है तो स्‍पेशल तरीके से काम करना होगा, इसलिए मैने ‘जापान फास्ट ट्रैक चैनल’ बनाने का भी निर्णय लिया है दूसरा, हमने आज जो निर्णय लिये हैं, उससे हमारा गहरा आपसी विश्‍वास एक नए स्‍तर तक पहुंचा है। पिछले कुछ महीने में हमने सिविल न्‍यूकिलियर इनर्जी क्षेत्र में प्रगति की है। आज हमने इस विषय पर विस्‍तार से चर्चा भी की है और हम इससे आपसी समझ बढ़ाने में भी सफल हुए हैं। हमने अपने अधिकारियों को निर्देश दिया है कि इस काम को जल्‍द समाप्‍त करें ताकि हमारी स्‍ट्रेटेजिक पार्टनरशिप और मजबूत हो। उसी प्रकार जापान ने एक महत्‍वपूर्ण निर्णय लिया है कि हमारी कुछ कंपनियों पर लगे प्रतिबंधों को हटायेंगे। यह भी नए आपसी विश्‍वास का प्रमाण है। रक्षा के क्षेत्र में एमओयू साइन किया है और टेक्‍नोलोजी इंप्‍लीमेंट पर सहयोग का निर्णय लिया है। इन सबसे स्‍पष्‍ट होता है कि हमारे संबंध वास्‍तविक रूप में एक नए स्‍तर पर पहुंचे हैं। उसी प्रकार आर्थिक संबंधों को कई गुना बढ़ाने का जो हमने संकल्‍प किया है और जिस मात्रा में जापान ने सहायता करने का वचन और आश्‍वासन दिया है, वह भी विशेष संबंध का प्रमाण है। इस संबंध की विशेषता हमारे संबंध की प्राचीन नींव और दोनों देशों के लोगों में अटूट प्रेम और आदर भी अंतर्निहित हैं। हमने ऐसे निर्णय लिये हैं जिनसे भविष्‍य में संबंध और मजबूत होंगे। विशेष रूप से यूथ एक्‍सचेंज, लैंग्‍वेज ट्रेनिंग, हिंदी और जापानी भाषा में प्रशिक्षण, कल्‍चरल एक्‍सचेंज, अनुसंधान और विकास में साथ काम करना। इतना ही नहीं, इमने जो पांच और एग्रीमेंट साइन किये हैं- स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य, क्‍लीन एवं रिन्‍यूएबल इनर्जी, वीमेंस डेवलपमेंट, रोड्स एवं क्‍योटो-वाराणसी के बीच समझौता, वह दिखाते हैं कि हमारे संबंध हर क्षेत्र में उभर रहे हैं और लोगों के हितों से जुड़े हुए हैं। मैं प्रधानमंत्री आबे का पुन: आभार प्रकट करता हूं। मुझे विश्‍वास है कि हमारे संबंधों की यह एक नई सुबह है और नए विश्‍वास और ऊर्जा के साथ हम आगे बढ़ेंगे और हम जो नए स्‍तर की बात करते हैं, उसको हम जल्‍द ही वास्‍तविकता में बदल देंगे। मैं फिर एक बार प्रधानमंत्री जी का और मेरे परम मित्र का हृदय से बहुत-बहुत आभार व्‍यक्‍त करता हूं। जापान के नागरिकों का भी हृदय से आभार व्‍यक्‍त करता हूं। थैंक यू।

Banking on inclusion

In launching the most ambitious plan ever to extend basic banking services across the country, the government is fulfilling a promise made by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech. The launch of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana also marks the completion of 100 days in office by the NDA government. Many of the details of the scheme were made available in advance, but the official launch on Thursday was in itself historic. A record 1.5 crore accounts were opened on the day of the launch, and an upwardly revised target of opening 7.5 crore new accounts by January 26, 2015 looks achievable, given the high levels of enthusiasm seen on the opening day. There has been close coordination among the government, the States and the bankers, and it is hoped that this will continue in equal measure to ensure the success of the scheme. For the NDA government, there will be a large number of positive political and economic spin-offs from the successful implementation of the scheme. Apart from making available basic banking facilities to every household, it is designed to provide social security through insurance schemes, and in select cases, pension schemes. This will be no mean achievement, given the absence of even a rudimentary social security cover for a very large number of people. In due course, the government plans to route cash transfers in lieu of subsidies through these accounts. That would pave the way for a comprehensive reform of the subsidy regime for a number of essential commodities.

The sheer size and complexity of the logistics involved in executing the gigantic inclusion plan will continue to amaze long after the initial glitches are ironed out. To be executed in two phases — the first will be for a year, while the second phase will be between 2015 and 2018 — the Jan Dhan Yojana plans to extend financial services in a country where only 58.7 per cent of an estimated 24.67 crore households have access to banking services. The scheme targets households rather than individuals, and uses technology extensively to further inclusion. Since opening physical bank branches on such a large scale is out of the question, the scheme will rely on a large number of business agents or correspondents for the last mile. It is therefore important to provide incentives to this category of intermediaries to ensure their total involvement. Experience with mandated inclusion programmes suggests that the new account-holders need to be kept engaged for sufficiently long periods. TheRuPay smart card is probably an answer, as it will keep the account-holders connected with the banks. For the macroeconomy, the big benefit will be fewer physical cash transactions — a development that will aid in the implementation of official policies.

Commendable initiative

At a time when open defecation remains something of a taboo subject and is seldom discussed in public, it is commendable that Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned the spotlight on the practice while addressing the nation on August 15 and brought the discourse straight into lakhs of drawing rooms. Soon after he urged the corporate sector to “prioritise the provision of toilets in schools” under corporate social responsibility programmes, the social movement is slowly gaining traction. Two companies — Tata Consultancy Services and Bharti Enterprises — have committed themselves to playing their part in achieving the monumental task of ensuring that all schools in the country have toilets for boys and girls in a year’s time. Hindustan Zinc Limited has increased by 10,000 the number of toilets it would build in villages in three districts of Rajasthan; its earlier target number was 30,000. There is an urgent need for many more companies to follow suit quickly. But building toilets alone would achieve next to nothing if providing access to water does not go hand in hand with it. That over 620 million people inIndia still defecate in the open is at once a shameful and disgusting statistic. The ignominy becomes all the more striking as India has the most number of people in the world continuing with this abhorrent practice; Indonesia is a far second with 54 million people doing that. That Bangladesh reduced the prevalence from 34 per cent in 1990 to 3 per cent in 2012 is a potent reminder that the war against open defecation has to be won in double quick time. This can be achieved only if building toilets, both in schools and in households, continues to be a priority for the government and every other sector in the country.

The ramifications of open defecation are too grim to be ignored. Many of the water-borne diseases — cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, Hepatitis A, typhoid and polio — are linked to open defecation. Hence, it is no coincidence that nearly 14 per cent (over 300,000) of deaths among children in India under five years of age are caused by diarrhoea-related diseases; diarrhoea is the second biggest killer in this age group. Also, frequent diarrhoeal events result in malnutrition and, in turn, stunting in children under five. The absence of toilets in schools is one of the reasons why girls drop out of the system at an early age. There is a huge economic cost, too. According to a document of the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Programme, the economic impact of poor sanitation is about Rs.2.4 trillion (which represented 6.4 per cent of India’s GDP in 2006). It is important to remember that building toilets without building awareness and changing the mindset, would still yield poor results.

Bipin chandra,The eternal critic of the self died

When the news came of Bipan Chandra’s passing away on the morning of August 30, my mind went back to an afternoon in a fly-ridden tea shop at Aligarh, where our long friendship began 55 years ago. I was instantly drawn to him for his commitment to the cause he had taken up (a journal at the time), his infectious enthusiasm and a quite irrepressible sense of humour.

Born in 1928 in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, Bipan Chandra was quite the mature scholar at the time we met, having studied at the Forman Christian College, Lahore, and then at Stanford University, US, where he was harried, he told me, by Senator Joseph McCarthy and his crew, for Bipan had decidedly leftist views. He was now teaching at Hindu College, Delhi. While he conscientiously performed his duties as a teacher and pursued relentlessly the cause of his journal, Enquiry, he carried out an astonishingly massive amount of research that resulted in his Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism in India, 1880-1905, published in 1966. This work brilliantly illuminated a neglected aspect of early Indian nationalism, and is plainly a great achievement.

Given his approach, Bipan was naturally impatient of the search for individual motivations in the national movement by the post-1947 historians of the Cambridge School, as well as of the attempts to refute the nationalist case against an exploitative Britain. He penned a fiery article in 1968 against Morris D. Morris, an American scholar who had doubted the reality of de-industrialisation under British rule.

Bipan became increasingly concerned with the rising tide of communalism, sharply criticising both its Hindu and Muslim variants. He carried out surveys of texts used in religious and quasi-religious schools. This concern also led him, I believe, to focus on writing for a popular readership. Many of his essays are for the general reader. The most outstanding work of this genre is his “Modern India”, an NCERT textbook published in the late 1970s for secondary schools. It manages to cover, within a limited size, almost all aspects of modern Indian history. It ran into several editions and was republished in 2012.

He also undertook, with his colleagues, more detailed studies of the national movement and of India since Independence. These efforts resulted in two major works edited by him, India’s Struggle for Independence (1989) and India Since Independence (1998).

For reasons I could never fully understand, he turned increasingly critical of the Left after the 1970s, as was revealed in a whole volume he edited in 1983. But, characteristically, he never let this come in the way of our friendship or bar cooperation between us in other fields.

Bipan Chandra was an enormously popular teacher, as one might expect. He became professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, soon after it wasestablished. After his retirement in 1993, JNU made him professor emeritus. From 2004 to 2012, he was chairman of the National Book Trust, in which work he showed the same zeal and drive as he did in everything else. (By constant telephoning, he made me write a book on medieval India within a set time-frame!)

His later years were marred by ill-health. The death of his gracious wife Usha some years ago was a great blow to him. It was a blow to my wife Sayera and me as well, since Usha and Bipan had always treated us as members of the family. One can now only offer condolences to the two sons, Bikash and Barun, they have left behind

The prime minister has hoisted his administration’s flag on the masthead of good governance. This is a welcome and timely objective. The question is, what does the prime minister mean by “good”? He campaigned on the slogan of “minimum government, maximum governance”. This would suggest that he equates “good” with “small”. There is merit in this equation. Our government is bloated, inefficient and wasteful. It needs to be slimmed down. But I am sure this does not capture the totality of the PM’s intent. He knows that governance is not about big versus small, maximum or minimum. The financial crisis that roiled the Western world in 2008-09 was at least in part the result of slackened government supervision over the financial community. The crony capitalism that led to the 2G scam and “coalgate” was also partly due to the institutional and power vacuum created by delicensing.

“Good” governance 101 for the 21st century is not about size, scope or ideology. It is about getting things done. It is about narrowing the distance between the governor and the governed. It requires strong institutions, rule of law, technology, information and talent. The executive must be empowered; the judiciary unencumbered and capable of providing timely justice; and Parliament functional for debates and legislation. It requires entrepreneurial decision-making and a systemic receptivity to new ideas and innovative solutions. It requires a government that encourages lateral entry of talent and the forging of partnerships and collaborations with business, academics and civic society. It is a government that is “smart” and biased towards action. These are different requirements from those when the world was not so connected, competitive and challenged by problems like global warming that do not respect national boundaries.

The question is, do the prime minister’s political and party colleagues understand the nature of these requirements? Do they recognise that good governance can only be built on the above pillars? I ask these questions because I am perplexed by the logic of decisions that are reportedly under consideration, or have been taken. I do not understand why, for instance, the government would wish to compel the resignation of the independent directors on the boards of large public sector entities simply because they were appointed by the previous government, or why it would wish to circumscribe the autonomy of the IITs by bringing them under the umbrella of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The only explanation I can think of is that some members of the government have not fully appreciated the need to adapt to these new requirements and are stuck in the groove of siloed and self-serving politics.

I know that several ministers have reshuffled their senior civil servants simply because they did not want to deal with appointees of the previous government. I can understand this decision, although I do not support it. Iunderstand it because ministers have the prerogative to choose their own teams. I do not support it because civil servants should be insulated from political exigency. Else they cannot proffer unbiased and professional advice. What I cannot understand or support is the decision to remove the independent directors from the boards of economically significant PSUs like ONGC and Indian Oil. The reason I do not understand or support the decision is because the government gains little but loses, potentially, a lot. After all, it is not as if these directors have substantive influence. They are not involved in management and are outvoted by the government representative. On the other hand, they provide a strategic sounding board, act as a check against corporate malfeasance and inject gravitas. Most directors are individuals of eminence and integrity. By removing them, the government is signalling its disdain for corporate governance, due process and institutional integrity. In a similar vein, I do not understand the logic of subserving the operational and academic integrity of world-class institutions like IITs to a bureaucratic and procedure-bound organisation like the UGC. In and of themselves, these two examples are trivial, but when seen through the lens of “good” governance, they show that the narrative of governance is not contemporaneous with the demands and complexity of a digitised, global and competitive world.

The prime minister could take a major step towards “good” governance by removing the deadweight of the prevention of corruption act that is presently on the shoulders of civil servants. As I have written before, this act exposes officials to the charge of corruption if they take a decision that is deemed to have benefitted a private entity. There is no statute of limitation and so a person can be hauled up by the CBI long after she has retired. It is no wonder, therefore, that civil servants have preferred to sit on files or simply pass them on to the next desk rather than put signatures to paper. The “act of omission” has been a safer bet than the “act of commission”. The prime minister has already lightened somewhat the weight by meeting the 70-odd secretaries to the government of India and by assuring them of his safeguard. But if he wants to galvanise his bureaucracy into an action and problem-solving mode, he should remove the weight totally by amending the act through an ordinance.

The prime minister is also looking to redefine the Planning Commission. If he does decide to reincarnate it as a government-financed think tank, he should task the new entity to find answers to questions such as: What must be done to modernise governance? What changes must be made to improve the delivery and quality of service? What needs to be done to inject a spirit of entrepreneurialism and innovation into decision-making? What, in short, must be done to create a government that is contemporaneous and “works”, to borrow from US President Barack Obama? These are not easy questions, but the new body could bethe forum where big data on the subject of governance is collated, organised and disseminated, new ideas are generated through crowdsourcing, public-private collaborations are forged, relevant e-governance technologies are leveraged and lateral talent is located. It could be a strategic planning tool for incentivising productivity, efficiency and innovation. It could be the body that puts flesh around the word “good” and in the process, aligns everyone around the promise that the prime minister made from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15

Shri Piyush Goyal to Launch Three Energy – Efficient Initiatives

Shri Piyush Goyal Minister of State (I/C) for Power, Coal, and New & Renewable Energy, will launch three energy efficient initiatives at 11 am, on Tuesday, 2nd September 2014, at DRDO Bhawan here. The initiatives developed by Bureau of Energy Efficiency under Ministry of Power include Design Guidelines for Energy Efficient Multi-Story Residential Building Star Rating for Hospital Buildings and for Diesel Generators. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas will deliver the keynote address at the function. Energy-Efficient Design Guidelines for Multi-Storey Residential Buildings Design Guidelines for ‘Energy-Efficient Multi-Storey Residential Buildings’ is developed with the objective to provide a comprehensive information on how to design energy-efficient multi-storey residential buildings. The guidelines take into account different climatic conditions prevailing in the country. Current guidelines are applicable to Composite and Hot-Dry Climates of India. The guidelines can be used by the agencies or persons involved in the regulation, design, and construction of multi-storey residential buildings in urban areas such as private and government sector developers and builders, architects and other design professionals, and urban local bodies. It is estimated that by adopting these guidelines, electricity savings of around 50 are possible. Star Rating Scheme for Hospital Buildings and Diesel Generators  The voluntary scheme for star rating of commercial buildings was developed with an aim to create a market pull for energy efficient buildings. Currently the scheme is applicable to three categories of buildings i. e. Day use Office buildings, Shopping Malls and BPOs. The rating plan is prepared by developing bandwidths for the Energy Performance Index (EPI) of buildings in that sector. Star rating scheme for hospital buildings has been developed in order to promote energy efficiency in hospital buildings. This scheme rates the actual performance of the hospital building based on a statistical model using regression and distribution analysis. The model is calibrated from sample data across various climatic zones and focuses on the key drivers of energy consumption including location, physical and operational characteristics. Considering that hospital buildings have complex and sophisticated engineering systems, their operations are energy intensive as they are used 24 x 7 throughout the year. Therefore in order to promote energy efficiency in hospital buildings, Star rating scheme for hospital buildings has been developed. This scheme rates the actual performance of the hospital building based on a statistical model using regression and distribution analysis. The model is calibrated from sample data across various climatic zones and focuses on the key drivers of energy consumption including location, physical and operational characteristics. Bureau of Energy Efficiency has developed the schedules for the star labeling of Diesel Generator (DG ) set on voluntary basis in association with Petroleum Conservation Research Association ( PCRA). It has been estimated that DG set could achieve an efficiency 36.48% from the existing average efficiency of 33.16%, which may save Rs. 79 crore in the first year of implementation with total saving fuel Consumption 12.88 Thousand Metric Tons (TMT) per year under the proposed voluntary Standard &Labeling ( S&L) programme. Diesel Generator Sets with engine capacity up to 19 kW ratings are covered under phase 1 of Program . The Diesel Generator set must comply with latest statutory requirements of the government. RM/ND