Learning skills from Seoul

ndia and South Korea have a robust economic engagement, but the Modi govt. will need to take bold steps for a deeper partnership.

In his first year of office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen his foreign destinations with careful thought. After wrapping up his visits to China andMongolia, Mr. Modi will be in Korea on May 18 and 19 in recognition of the country’s potential importance in pushing the agenda of ‘Make in India’, skill development, employment generation and indigenisation of defence manufacturing.

The stage for the visit has already been set by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had, in December 2014, visited Seoul for the 8th Joint Commission meeting. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also went to Seoul in April to identify projects for closer defence collaboration.

South Korea and India have both economic and cultural ties, apart from similar historical trajectories. Their ancient bonds are based on the twin strands of Buddhism and the Princess of Ayodhya. Koreans widely believe that a princess from Ayodhya travelled by sea to Korea in 48CE and married King Kim Suro. A prominent branch of the Kim clan called the Gimhae Kims proudly claim this Indian lineage. The two countries also share bitter colonial experiences; they had to undergo post-independence horrors of partition. Both continue to face hostile nuclear siblings: Pakistan and North Korea, respectively.

Economic engagement

Despite this, India and South Korea did not take much notice of each other till the end of the 1970s. A nonaligned India pursued a policy of equal treatment of the two Koreas, which it finally abandoned in the 1980s.The emergence of South Korea as an Asian Tiger compelled India to look at it as a source of investment and technology. The dawn of real democracy in South Korea in the late 1980s brought it ideologically closer to India. The end of the Cold War and former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s ‘Look East Policy’ opened the doors for a rapid economic engagement with South Korea.

Korean Chaebols such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai Motors invested heavily in India in the late 1990s.Their success in capturing the Indian market is visible all around us. Korean investment in India is now more than $3 billion. Indian companies such as Tata Motors, the Mahindra Group and Birla Group have also invested more than a billion dollars in South Korea.

The first decade of the new millennium saw a rapid expansion of both economic and political relations. In 2010, India and South Korea became ‘Strategic Partners’ and implemented the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Bilateral trade surged to $20 billion in 2011, surpassing India’s trade with Japan. However, economic activities have been somewhat stagnant since then and require renewed energy and new ideas. For instance, the much-heralded $12 billion investment by the Korean steelmaker POSCO in Odisha has been stuck since 2005 in the quagmire of procedures for mining licences, land acquisition and environmental clearances. Both countries focus on the economic prosperity of their citizens. On strategic regional issues, they strive for a stable and peaceful external environment. However, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Mr. Modi differ widely on the other two regional giants: China and Japan. No consensus on this is expected at this summit.

In this background, Prime Minister Modi has clear objectives, but difficult issues to address. South Korean corporates have rich experiences of working in rather difficult Indian conditions but before investing more, they may wait for conditions to improve.

Prime Minister Modi will benefit from studying the Korean experience of rapid skill development in the 1960s and 1970s. The impressive industrial miracle of South Korea is based on its trained and dedicated manpower. The system of vocational training, technical education as well as Research and Development is driven by the requirements of industry. In these areas, India’s efforts are largely government-driven and practically divorced from industry requirements. Mr. Modi would also be surprised to learn that 3.4 per cent of Korean GDP is spent on research and innovation and 70 per cent of this amount comes from industry!

Lessons from shipbuilding

In the shipbuilding sector, South Korea has world class technology, but India has obsolescent equipment and management. Creative policy changes would be required in India to motivate Korean private shipbuilders to invest in India. Koreans by nature do not like joint ventures, guard their technology carefully and demand full managerial control. Just as the Rao government had allowed 100 per cent FDI to Korean companies in 1996 as a pioneering policy change, the Modi government should offer to lease a shipyard to the Koreans for the long-term on negotiated terms. Such a move would attract the Koreans to not only invest in shipbuilding in India but also bring in modern technology and equipment. Also, it is hoped that Prime Minister Modi’s visit will reopen the stalled negotiations for the acquisition of eight minesweepers from KangNam Company, which would be partly built at the Goa shipyard.

During the visit, Mr. Modi is likely to face some pressure from President Park for urgent revision of the CEPA. However, he must be cautious as the present CEPA has not generated any extra exports from India, and the bilateral trade gap is widening against India. Despite assurances, the Korean regulators continue to drag their feet in according approvals for import of Indian generic drugs and agricultural products. Indian IT companies have also been struggling for business in South Korea as Koreans hesitate in sharing data with outsiders.

Koreans may also press for the allocation of a site for Korean companies to build a nuclear power plant. They may offer state of the art technology and their overall costs for erecting a project would be about 20 per cent less than their competitors. In turn, India could offer to launch Korean satellites on its launch vehicles.

There is vast potential for the growth of tourism on both sides and India’s decision to grant ‘Visa on Arrival’ and e-visas to Koreans will facilitate tourism. Indian films, cuisine and yoga are widely popular in Korea. Korean pop music and TV serials are well known in India among the youth, particularly in the Northeast. Since the countries share a bond concerning the Princess of Ayodhya, they could even offer incentives to film producers for a joint production of a film based on the legend.

The key component of India-South Korea strategic partnership continues to be a robust economic engagement. This fits squarely with the present priorities of the Prime Minister to boost the manufacturing sector in India. But the Modi government would need to display more imagination and take bold steps to fully tap the potential of a deeper partnership with South Korea.

India - Republic of Korea Joint Statement For Special Strategic Partnership

India - Republic of Korea Joint Statement For Special Strategic Partnership

1. H.E. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the invitation of H.E. Mme. Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on May 18-19, 2015. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi held a summit meeting with President Park.

2. Prime Minister Modi and President Park held substantive discussions in areas of mutual interest. They welcomed the rapid expansion and diversification of bilateral ties in recent years. Both sides shared the view that President Park’s State Visit to India in January 2014 provided impetus to development of bilateral relations in a comprehensive manner. The two leaders agreed to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a ‘Special Strategic Partnership’.

3. Recalling the historical and cultural bonds that connect the two peoples, the two sides noted that their shared commitment to values of democracy, open society and liberal international economic order has further strengthened the foundation of the ROK-India Special Strategic Partnership. The two leaders resolved to add new substance, speed and content in the partnership in a wide range of areas including foreign affairs, defense, trade and investment, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges and regional cooperation to take the bilateral relations to a qualitatively higher level.

Political and Security Relations

4. India sees the ROK as an indispensable partner in its "Act East" strategy, and the ROK and India recognize the value of the bilateral partnership and its contribution to bringing peace, stability and security in the Asia Pacific Region. President Park informed Prime Minister Modi about ROK’s Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI). Prime Minister welcomed ROK's desire to enhance cooperation and security among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The two leaders agreed that the two sides should work together to find complementarities between NAPCI and Act East Policy to achieve shared goals.

5. The two sides agreed to further intensify bilateral high-level exchanges. They shared the view that bilateral defence and security cooperation has large potential to grow.

6. Welcoming the visit of the Speaker of the Korean National Assembly to India in May 2015, the two sides hoped for increased exchange of India-Korea parliamentary delegations. They shared the view that the exchange of India-Korea parliamentary delegations will contribute towards greater interaction and understanding between the two Parliaments.

7. To substantiate the Special Strategic Partnership the two sides agreed to the following:

a. Establish annual Summit meetings, in either country, or on the margins of plurilateral events;

b. Hold Joint Commissions led by the two Foreign Ministers annually;

c. Facilitate greater parliamentary exchanges to strengthen democratic institutions in their respective regions;

d. Strengthen the partnerships between Indian and Korean institutions of defense education, including the National Defence College of India and the National Defense University of Korea, by activating the dispatch of military officers for education;

e. Further strengthen regular consultations between the National Security Council structures of the two countries on security, defence and cyber related issues;

f. Establish a joint Vice Ministerial level defence and foreign affairs dialogue in the "2+2" Format;

g. Encourage greater cooperation between their shipyards for defence needs;

h. Pursue further deepening of defence cooperation through commencement of staff level talks between the two navies and regular exchanges of visits between the two armed forces;

i. Seek the means of the cyber security cooperation to prepare against transnational cyber threats;

j. Cooperate appropriately in the area of UN Peacekeeping; and

k. Hold a track 1.5 dialogue annually between Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security of ROK (IFANS) - Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).

Trade and Investment

8. President Park welcomed India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative as it provides new avenues to enrich and add substance to the bilateral relations. Prime Minister Modi invited the ROK to become a privileged partner in ‘Make in India’ to which President Park conveyed her appreciation. Both leaders acknowledged that trade and investment between both countries have enormous potential for further development. They directed their respective officials to undertake in-depth consultations to leverage fully the potential of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of India and to make full use of the current discussion mechanisms under the CEPA, such as the Joint Committee, for that purpose.

9. Recognizing the salience of trade and investment to the bilateral partnership, the leaders called upon the business community from India and Korea to leverage the enormous synergies between their economies for mutual prosperity. The leaders welcomed:

a. Signing of the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement;

b. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Export-Import Bank of Korea expressed their intention to provide US $10 billion for mutual cooperation in infrastructure, comprising Economic Development Cooperation Fund (US $ 1 billion) and export credits (US $ 9 billion) for priority sectors, including smart cities, railways, power generation and transmission, and other sectors to be agreed. The two governments and the EXIM Banks of the two countries will hold consultations to chalk out a roadmap in order to materialize the envisioned financial support for priority sectors;

c. Commencement of negotiations to amend the India-Korea CEPA by June 2016 with a view to achieving qualitative and quantitative increase of trade through an agreed roadmap;

d. Mutual cooperation to be explored for enabling cities with updated technologies including smart grids for building of smart cities, in view of their crucial influence on improving the quality of residential environments and achieving sustainable economic development;

e. Cooperation in the steel sector by encouraging the steel industry of both countries to develop mutually beneficial projects;

f. Interest of companies of the two countries in cooperation in the area of shipbuilding, including the construction of Indian vessels such as LNG carriers. The Indian government expressed its hope to discuss partnership with Korea with an aim to modernize the Indian shipbuilding industry. The governments of both countries decided to provide support for facilitating private sector discussion on ways to cooperate in this area. A Joint Working Group that includes the government and private sectors of the two countries will be established to facilitate cooperation in the shipbuilding sector;

g. Cooperation for stable maritime transport, possible joint business projects in the area of shipping and logistics, and promotion of employment of both countries’ seafarers;

h. Cooperation to expedite the necessary procedures for mutual export of fresh fruits and horticultural products;

i. Progress made in establishment of the Korean Industrial Park in the State of Rajasthan. They agreed that the Industrial Park will help Korean small and medium enterprises to benefit from ‘Make in India’ initiative. They shared the same view that it is desirable to establish more offices of both countries’ respective trade agencies, including KOTRA, to facilitate trade, investment and industrial cooperation between the two countries;

j. The first meeting of the Korea-India CEO Forum which will be held in Seoul on 19 May 2015. The CEO Forum will play a significant role to boost exchanges and dialogues between enterprises of the two countries, enhance mutual investment and further pragmatic bilateral business cooperation; and

k. The decision to set up an India-Korea Joint Working Group in the field of Electronics Hardware manufacturing to enhance co-operation and facilitate business collaboration through joint ventures and technology transfer on a commercial basis between Indian and Korean electronics manufacturing companies, and the creation of a business friendly environment in this field.

10. Reaffirming the important role that friendly contact between the Indian and Korean people has played in building this partnership, the two leaders welcomed and encouraged the ongoing efforts, including through an aviation cooperation conference, by their respective civil aviation authorities to amend the bilateral Air Services Agreement with a view to enhancing flight connectivity and to covering more cities.

Technology, Energy and Environment

11. President Park lauded Prime Minister's Swacch Bharat Abhiyan as an effort to transform India. Recognizing that Saemaul Undong (SMU), Korea’s successful rural development initiative in the 1970s, can make a substantial contribution to accomplishing the vision of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, the two leaders agreed that both sides would promote cooperation to create synergies by combining development experiences of both sides.

12. Recognizing the integral link between economic growth, preservation of environment and clean energy, India and Korea agreed to enhance exchanges between their respective Ministries and agencies.

13. Lauding the Korean Green Economy initiative, India expressed willingness to work with Korea for mutually-beneficial partnerships in deploying innovative policies and technologies to improve urban water and air quality and to protect natural resources.

14. The two leaders expressed their appreciation on ongoing cooperation in science & technology and noted that joint R&D projects are being implemented in focused areas of Renewable Energy, Materials Science, Robotics & Engineering Sciences and Health Sciences. The leaders further emphasized that both sides should develop strong academia-industry connect programmes in areas such as Cleantech, Robotics & Automation and Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM), which can address economic and societal challenges of the two countries.

15. Two sides agreed that cooperation in space sector has many possibilities. They welcomed the agreement between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to pursue cooperation in the areas of lunar exploration, satellite navigation and space science and application as below:

a. Deep space cross tracking and communication support for Korean and Indian deep space missions;

b. Sharing of data of lunar surface and radiation data collected by Chandrayan–1;

c. Collaboration in GAGAN-KASS interoperability and sharing experience in GAGAN (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation system) and KASS (Korea Augmentation Satellite System);

d. Technological cooperation in the field of space science and its application, satellite launch, and other areas they agree; and

e. Holding working-level talks regularly between ISRO and KARI to strengthen the substantive way of cooperation in the areas mentioned above.

Culture, Education and People-to-People Exchanges

16. In view of the long history of cultural contact between the Indian and Korean people, President Park welcomed Prime Minister Modi's decision to send a full Festival of India in Korea in autumn of 2015. India also welcomed an opportunity to host a Festival of Korea in India in 2016. In this context, the two leaders also welcomed efforts to strengthen their historic connection by enhancing linkages of Korean people with Ayodhya, and agreed to upgrade the monument for Queen Suriratna /Hur Hwang-ok in Ayodhya as a joint project between the two sides. President Park expressed deep appreciation of Korean people for the gift of holy Bodhi tree sapling.

17. The President and the Prime Minister called for an intensification of youth delegations to encourage greater understanding and interaction between the future leaders of the two countries. Indian side expressed interest in enhancing cooperation among educational institutes of the two sides, including among relevant technological institutes and in language teaching.

18. Both leaders agreed to encourage establishment of twin city and twin province/state relationships to deepen and broaden people-to-people exchanges.

19. Korea invited India to participate in the exhibition titled “Masterpieces of Early Buddhist Sculpture, 100 BCE-700CE” which will commemorate National Museum of Korea’s 10th anniversary of reconstruction and opening to the public. India welcomed the invitation and agreed to actively cooperate for the exhibition. The two leaders hoped to promote mutual understanding and appreciation between the two countries, and to broaden cultural relations of the two countries. In addition, they agreed to further explore cooperation on preservation, restoration, and joint research in the field of cultural heritage of both countries.

20. India invited Korea to participate in the two day seminar on “Shared Heritage as New Variable in the Indo-Korean Relations: Historicizing the Legend of Princess from Ayodhya and its Legacy” being organized by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in collaboration with India International Center in New Delhi. Korea welcomed the invitation.

Regional and Multilateral Cooperation
21. The two leaders underlined the paramount importance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. In this regard, they expressed concern over the development of DPRK’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, which is in violation of its international obligations and commitments. They urged the DPRK to fully comply with all of its international obligations, including under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and to fulfil its commitments under the 2005 Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks. Prime Minister Modi expressed support for President Park's efforts to build trust in the Korean peninsula and to lay the groundwork for peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula.

22. Recognizing the increasing and evolving threat posed to world peace and stability from international terrorism, the two leaders reiterated their commitment to the eradication of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and called on international community to work closely to address this challenge. They called for an early conclusion of negotiations on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. They recognized the need to eliminate terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupt terrorist networks and their financing, and stop cross-border movement of terrorists, including by implementing the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, as well as enhancing countering violent extremism efforts. They called on all States to work sincerely to achieve these objectives.

23. President Park highlighted her Eurasia Initiative and the Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Initiative (NAPCI), and agreed to explore ways to work with India's Act East and Connect Central Asia policies for the common prosperity of the region. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his willingness to explore ways to work with the NAPCI and the Eurasia Initiative for the peace and stability of the region and beyond.

24. India and the ROK underlined their shared interest in strengthening global non-proliferation objectives. The ROK took note of India’s wish to join the international export control regimes and agreed that India’s entry will have a positive influence on strengthening the global non-proliferation regimes. The ROK expressed its support for India’s early membership of the four multilateral export control regimes, namely, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Missile Technology Control Regime, Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement, based upon consensus within each regime.

25. Recognizing the need for comprehensive UN reforms including Security Council expansion to make the body more representative, accountable and effective, both sides agreed to work towards UNSC reforms to reflect contemporary realities and include major developing countries.

26. Prime Minister Modi thanked President Park and the Government and People of the ROK for the warmth of their hospitality. The two leaders agreed that this Summit meeting had qualitatively raised the partnership to the next level. Prime Minister Modi invited President Park to visit India again soon to ensure that the high momentum of this partnership is sustained. President Park accepted the invitation with pleasure.

27. During the visit following Agreements and MOUs were signed in the presence of the two leaders:

a. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Korea for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income;

b. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Audio-Visual Co-production;

c. MOU for Cooperation between the National Security Council Secretariat of the Republic of India and the Office of National Security of the Republic of Korea ;

d. MOU between the Ministry of Power of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea concerning Cooperation in the field of Electric Power Development and New Energy Industries;

e. MOU between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in Youth Matters;

f. Framework of Cooperation in the Field of Road Transport and Highways between the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea; and

g. MOU between the Ministry of Shipping of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea on Cooperation in the Fields of Maritime Transport and Logistics. 

Cabinet clears new #ureapolicy

Cabinet clears new #ureapolicy

The Indian government on Wednesday approved a new urea policy aiming to increase domestic production by 2 million tonnes and reduce its subsidy bill by over Rs 4,800 crore annually, but decided not to raise retail prices.

The maximum retail price (MRP) of urea for farmers has been left untouched at Rs 268 per bag of 50 kgs, excluding local taxes. Farmers would have to pay an additional Rs 14 per bag for neem-coated urea.

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a comprehensive New Urea Policy 2015 for the next four fiscals with multiple objectives of maximising indigenous urea production and promoting energy efficiency in urea units to reduce the government's subsidy burden, the Fertiliser Ministry said in a statement.

"The policy will result in direct saving of subsidy of around Rs 2,618 crore and indirect saving of Rs 2,211 crore on account of revised specific energy consumption norms and import substitution, respectively, during the next four years.

Total savings would be Rs 4,829 crore," it added.

The new policy is also expected to result in an additional production of around 20 lakh tonnes of urea annually.

India's urea production has remained stagnant at 22 million tonnes (MT) annually and the country has to import about 8 MT to meet the domestic demand.

The policy will ensure timely supply of urea to farmers at the same retail price with lesser financial burden on the exchequer, besides reducing import dependence.

The movement plan for urea will continue to be given by the government every month to urea suppliers to ensure its timely and adequate availability in all parts of the country.

The Ministry said savings in energy will bring down the carbon footprint as well. The policy will enable the domestic urea sector, with 30 urea producing units, to become more energy efficient, resulting in rationalisation of subsidy burden.

"Beneficiaries of this policy would be all the farmers of the country, urea industry and the government of India," it said.

Earlier, the government had approved gas pooling policy under which all urea units would get gas at a uniform price.

Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former Chief Secretary of Gujarat,as the new Election Commissioner

Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former Chief Secretary of Gujarat during Narendra Modi's tenure as Chief Minister, today took over as the new Election Commissioner, filling one of the two vacancies in the three-member body.

"Jyoti took charge today at the Election Commission of India," a senior official said.

Jyoti is a 1975-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who retired as state Gujarat Chief Secretary in January 2013.

He served in the top post in Gujarat when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Chief Minister.

Jyoti (62) had also served as the state Vigilance Commissioner and worked in various capacities in his cadre including as Chairman of the Kandla Port Trust between 1999 and 2004 and Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL).

Born on January 23, 1953, Jyoti will have a tenure of nearly three years as ECs demit office at the age of 65.

An EC or a CEC has a tenure of six years in office or till he or she attains the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

After V S Sampath demitted office in January, H S Brahma was elevated as CEC. But after Brahma demitted office, two posts of ECs in the three-member body have remained vacant.

Between April 19, when Nasim Zaidi took over as the CEC till today, he was the only member in the poll body.

The government is soon expected to appoint one more Election Commissioner to fill up the last vacancy.

Jyoti has also worked as Secretary in the Industry, Revenue and Water Supply Departments.

Approval to Namami Gange - Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission / Programme under National Ganga River Basin Authority

Approval to Namami Gange - Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission / Programme under National Ganga River Basin Authority

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today approved the flagship “Namami Gange” Program which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner. The program has a budget outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore for the next 5 years. This is a significant four-fold increase over the expenditure in the past 30 years (Government of India incurred an overall expenditure of approximately Rs. 4000 crore on this task since 1985).

Marking a major shift in implementation, the Government is focusing on involving people living on the banks of the river to attain sustainable results. Drawing from the lessons learnt from previous implementation, the program also focuses on involving the States and grassroots level institutions such as Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation. The program would be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterpart organizations i.e., State Program Management Groups (SPMGs). NMCG will also establish field offices wherever necessary. In order to improve implementation, a three-tier mechanism has been proposed for project monitoring comprising of a) High level task force chaired by Cabinet Secretary assisted by NMCG at national level, b) State level committee chaired by Chief Secretary assisted by SPMG at state level and c) District level committee chaired by the District Magistrate.

In order to ramp up progress, the Centre will now take over 100% funding of various activities/ projects under this program. Taking a leaf from the unsatisfactory results of the earlier Ganga Action Plans, the Centre now plans to provide for operation & maintenance of the assets for a minimum 10 year period, and adopt a PPP/SPV approach for pollution hotspots. In an attempt to bolster enforcement the Centre also plans to establish a 4-battalion Ganga Eco-Task Force, a Territorial Army unit, apart from contemplating on a legislation that aims to check pollution and protect the river.

The program emphasizes on improved coordination mechanisms between various Ministries/Agencies of Central and State governments. Major infrastructure investments which fall under the original mandate of other ministries viz. Urban Development (UD), Drinking Water & Sanitation (DWS), Environment Forests & Climate Change (EF&CC) etc., will be undertaken in addition.

‘Namami Gange’ will focus on pollution abatement interventions namely Interception, diversion & treatment of wastewater flowing through the open drains through bio-remediation / appropriate in-situ treatment / use of innovative technologies / sewage treatment plants (STPs) / effluent treatment plant (ETPs); rehabilitation and augmentation of existing STPs and immediate short term measures for arresting pollution at exit points on river front to prevent inflow of sewage etc.

Significantly the approach is underpinned by socio-economic benefits that the program is expected to deliver in terms of job creation, improved livelihoods and health benefits to the vast population that is dependent on the river. 

‪#CSAT has been made qualifying #‎CivilServicesExamination‬

‪#‎CivilServicesExamination‬

The Government has approved the following in respect of Civil Services Examination:

• An Expert Committee would be constituted to comprehensively examine various issues raised from time to time namely, eligibility, syllabus, scheme and pattern of Civil Services Examination.

• Till such time the Government takes decision on the recommendation of the above Committee, the #GeneralStudies Paper-II(‪#‎CSAT‬) in the Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination will remain a qualifying paper with a minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.

• The English Language comprehension skill portion from General Studies Paper-II of Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination will continue to remain excluded.

• The above decisions are incorporated in the CSE Rules-2015.

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=121654

To China with a clear strategy

The combination of an excess of nationalism, belief in exceptionalism, and of the inevitability of a Sino-centric world is an aspect India cannot overlook during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China. He must focus clearly on the strategic aspects of the relationship, and less on trade and economic ties.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s forthcoming visit to China, beginning May 14, is of considerable interest not only to peoples inhabiting the two countries, but also to leaders and strategic analysts globally.

In China, Mr. Modi will be visiting Xian, Beijing and Shanghai over three days, before leaving for Mongolia and South Korea. Mr. Modi’s visit follows Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to India in September 2014. There is a great deal hinging on its outcome with China being viewed today as a pivot-state, and India the only nation in the region capable of maintaining the balance in the region.

For his part, Mr. Modi has, no doubt, indicated that trade and economic ties with China would be his main priority. However, there is much more to an Indian Prime Minister’s visit to China than economic relations — unstated though this may be. This visit is again taking place at a time when China has unveiled a new strategic vision, and elements of the strategy conform to Sun Tzu’s principle of “winning without fighting”. It implicitly includes rewarding nations that it perceives as “friends” and, by implication, excluding nations that stand in its way.

New security paradigm

China is also currently affording an opportunity to nations in the region to become a part of a Beijing-contrived “security alliance”, holding out the promise of a new Asian security paradigm, previously embedded in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “Code of Conduct for Asia” (2014). The latter contained a veiled “warning” to countries forging military alliances to counter China. Perhaps, having waded too far out by its references to the issue of maritime disputes in the South China Sea at various regional fora, and more explicitly in the Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean region following the U.S. President Barack Obama-Modi meeting in New Delhi in January this year, the Prime Minister may, hence, need to indulge in some intricate balancing acts to win the confidence of his hosts.

Many Western analysts believe that China is presently demonstrating a degree of “strategic autism”, resulting from its growing power. The Indian side needs to factor this in its calculations. Under President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, China had, by and large, displayed a benign face. It was during this period, in 2008, that India and China unveiled a “Joint Strategic Vision for the 21st Century”. This was considered unusual even then for China generally finds it difficult to endorse a common vision.

Under Mr. Xi, China has moved away from Deng Xiaoping’s injunction “to hide our capabilities and bide our time and never claim leadership”. It now countenances the employment of diplomacy as an instrument for the effective application of Chinese power in support of China’s ambitious and long-term foreign policy agenda.

Effectively, therefore, the 2008 “Shared Vision Concept” is all but buried, and it would be useful to see what happens next. The Indian side must avoid falling into any kind of trap of arriving at decisions on strategic issues, made seemingly easy by the Chinese employing very simplified, schematic representations of highly complex realities.

Meanwhile, current realities in the region are becoming more complex having entered a period fraught with change.

The emergence of new dangers in West Asia, the uncertainty in Afghanistan, with the Islamic State (IS) now siding with the Taliban, tensions among different nations in South-East Asia and East Asia, and evidence of increasing Chinese assertiveness, have produced an unstable equilibrium.

Impact of developments

Consequently, while there are many issues that would be uppermost in Mr. Modi’s mind, the visit provides an excellent opportunity for him to assess, at first hand, where China is headed. It will give him a chance to estimate the potential impact of recent developments on Sino-Indian relations.

“ The ‘Maritime Silk Road’ concept is possibly an even more audacious move, with plans to connect more than 50 countries via the sea and build a network of port cities along the Silk Road.”

The Prime Minister could begin by making a realistic appraisal of China’s “Defence Posture” and the kind of threat this poses to India. Rising defence budgets (the 2015 defence Budget is estimated at $141.5 billion — the 26th year of normal double digit increases since 1989), unveiling of a host of new state-of-the-art weapons such as the DF-21D “Carrier Killer” anti-ship ballistic missile (the Assassin’s Mace according to the United States) and the J-20 stealth fighter aircraft, employment of asymmetric tactics which conform to Sun Tzu’s precepts, all send out a clear message that China is no longer willing to watch from the sidelines where its immediate and long-term security interests are concerned.

‘Outreach’ programme

Mr. Modi would also have the opportunity to understand, first hand, the implications of China’s “Outreach Programme”. The launch of the New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has already demonstrated Beijing’s determination to build an alternative financial architecture. The “One Belt, One Road” initiative (inclusive of a Silk Road Development Fund) aims to boost connectivity with China’s Central Asian neighbours, and establish a Eurasian land corridor from the Pacific Coast to the Baltic Sea, which possibly signals China’s determination to undermine the U.S. Pivot to Asia.

The ‘Maritime Silk Road’ concept is possibly an even more audacious move, with plans to connect more than 50 countries via the sea and build a network of port cities along the Silk Road. This could well result in circumventing and circumscribing India’s own outreach diplomacy.

The ambit of China’s “Public Diplomacy” including the rapid expansion of Confucius Institutes (there are over 415 such institutes around the globe including around 15 in India at present) also merits the Prime Minister’s attention. The interconnecting links between these Institutes and the authorities in China are matters which require to be better understood in the context of China’s current “soft power” offensive. As in the case of China’s “Peaceful Rise”, there is room for worry and concern.

China has already notched up several diplomatic successes — some of these will have an adverse impact on India’s external relations. The transformation in China-Russia relations is clearly one. This has been facilitated by the $400 billion gas deal, but it should not be overlooked that Russia was possibly the first overseas destination for Mr. Xi. What should specially concern India and Mr. Modi, is that China and Russia are now determined to deepen their “comprehensive strategic partnership” and “contribute to lasting world peace”. Likewise, China has gained a strategic beachhead in West Asia with its Iran connection. China is reaping the reward of standing by Iran. This will clearly put India on the back foot in a region which it has carefully nursed for a long time.

China-Pakistan connection

However, it is the further deepening of the China-Pakistan connection that should be cause for graver concern, and Mr. Modi could seek from his Chinese host what exactly China’s intentions are. The $46 billion promised by China for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which would link western China with the Gwadar port in Pakistan through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), by itself is worthy of India’s attention, but it is also apparent that the quid pro quo includes China gaining strategic access to the Gwadar port. The “pivot” to Pakistan in recent months, reflects Mr. Xi’s personal preferences after the equivocation of the Hu-Wen period.

All in all, it might be useful for the Prime Minister to tread with caution lest unexpected consequences follow improbable causes. This is specially true when matters relate to the rules of engagement between neighbouring states that have witnessed troubled relations in the past.

The underlying reason for concern is that China seems to be maximising power without purpose. The “logic of strategy” of such situations is that it inevitably provokes a confrontational atmosphere.

In China’s evaluation, it is already the predominant power in the region. It now seeks to translate its power into influence. Sharing power is farthest from its mind, and “strategic altruism” is not a quality that China — or for that matter most countries — possesses. India must remain alert to these eventualities when matters concerning strategic realities are discussed.

The combination of an excess of nationalism, belief in exceptionalism, and of the inevitability of a Sino-centric world that is being fostered under President Xi Jinping, does have inevitable consequences which countries like India cannot overlook. This requires Mr. Modi to focus clearly on the strategic aspects of the relationship, and less on trade and economic ties. It is the strategic content that heightens the importance of a meeting of minds when the leaders of India and China meet.