Courtesy: flickr
India could save $80 billion annually if oil prices stay at the current 12-year low. Policy-makers must use this opportunity to lock-in energy prices for the long-term. Financial markets, through futures and options, offer a way to make these savings permanent, and the Ministry of Finance must formulate ground rules for hedging.
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India’s merchandise exports have now contracted for 13 months in a row, reflecting the global slowdown and impact of China’s economic recalibration. But, therein lay new opportunities and challenges for India’s economic diplomacy
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Village-scale solar powered minigrids are the most promising path for India to meet its linked aims of GDP growth and access to electricity for all. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is already active on this front, but a comprehensive and standardised national minigrid policy that facilitates private sector involvement and eases financing, will allow this model to flourish
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If India enters the Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade and Transit Agreement, as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said at conference in Islamabad in December, it will boost regional trade and connectivity—both priorities of the Modi government. But Pakistan stridently opposes India’s entry into the agreement. What are the alternatives?
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Despite the Venezuelan opposition's victory in the December 6 legislative elections, 2016 will likely see a rise in political confrontations and a deepening economic crisis in Venezuela. The India-Venezuela bilateral will remain mostly unaffected and continue to be focused on oil.
Courtesy: Gateway House
Gateway House sifted through the speeches of Prime Minister Narenda Modi during his visits abroad in 2015 to assess the terms—such as cooperation and economy—he used most frequently. As the terminology pattern shows, India’s foreign policy is now focussed on forging new and improved global partnerships. And as the most-travelled head of state in the world, Modi’s words indicate India’s new global positioning
Courtesy: Gateway House
It has been a busy year for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian PM has been to 26 countries with an aim to forward India's foreign policy and establish the country as a formidable international player. A recap of his visits
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During Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s recent visit to India, both countries made important progress in strengthening their security engagement focused on maritime security, defence purchases and counter-terrorism. Nonetheless, Indian policymakers are conscious of regional concerns about Japan’s renewed nationalism and of balancing this relationship with that of China
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COP21 could have spelled doom for India’s growth push if it had insisted on a peak emissions year for all participants, or spelled out explicit restrictions on coal. It has done neither, and continues to recognise the principle of differentiated responsibilities
Courtesy: COP Paris / Flickr
COP21 is a reality check for those who like to believe that geopolitical power is shifting from West to East. The just-concluded Paris Climate Summit was essentially about the early-to-develop Western powers continuing to exercise almost complete control over global governance structures, largely through the dominance of markets.