Indian_Space_Research_Organisation_Logo.svg Courtesy: Wikipedia
23 September 2015

Space R&D: a strategic frontier

Instead of inviting foreign corporations to India to create a manufacturing base, Modi can use his Silicon Valley experience to build a similar research and development foundation in India for indigenous high-tech companies. A strategic space megaproject could be the start of this much-needed push.

rupees-435450_1280 Courtesy: itkannan4u/pixabay
17 September 2015

From GST to TPP

External integration—which the Trans Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will generate—has policy implications that India must manage well and quickly. As a first step, India can introduce the GST, among other measures, in order to become a more unified domestic economy.

us-india-modi-mania_kuma4 Courtesy: PTI
17 September 2015

Will Modi actualise the India-U.S. dream?

On his second trip to the U.S. next week, Modi will meet Obama to discuss various issues, including climate change and the civil nuclear deal; he will also visit Silicon Valley to explore innovation and social enterprise. But beyond the promises of this agenda, both sides must now devise deliverables that make the bilateral dream a reality.

Solitary_Oil_Rig_In_The_Arabian_Sea Courtesy:
4 September 2015

ONGC-Rosneft

ONGC’s purchase of a 15% stake in Russia’s Vankorneft presents the road ahead for India – by acquiring oil and gas fields today, India has a chance to lock in the price of imported energy at the current low level for the long run.

Handshake_between_Narendra_Modi_and_Nawaz_Sharif Courtesy: Wikipedia
3 September 2015

Pakistan’s denial regime

The cancellation of the August 23-24 meeting of the national security advisors of India and Pakistan follows a pattern of unrealistic expectations raised and then quickly dashed. This is compounded by Pakistan’s long history of denial on numerous issues. It may be time for both countries to abjure high-profile diplomacy and turn to small confidence-building measures.

food-grain-unloading-e1392363575896 Courtesy: Bharata Bharati
3 September 2015

Why India cannot sustain its WTO stance

India, along with China, will present the case for food security protections at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi in December, where India will find it difficult to maintain its integrity as both a leader of G33 countries and a nation that has an expressed stake in the expansion of global trade. But it should stick to the G33’s Bali proposal for flexibilities for developing countries.