Serious trouble might be brewing for the BJP with Dalit anger building against them. It is because of Upper caste high-handedness in a village near Saharanpur last month, described as the communal lab of the country. 

This has the portends of uniting the 21 per cent Dalits in the country in the wake of any fresh eruption of Dalit-Rajput clashes. Experts say Dalit youth are angry and if the excesses against them is not stopped, the chances of civil disturbances cannot be ruled out. 

The prospects of western UP becoming the nerve centre of Dalit politics is a possibility. Simultaneously, Dalit youth across the state have come together to challenge the attack on their community. They have also begun using the social media, taking strong exception to the increasing abuses against their icons, including B R Ambedkar and Mayawati. 

Activists of the Hindutva lobby always had two enemies — Muslims and Dalits. The minority community has been fearful of the BJP regime which is now ruling both at the centre as well in the crucial and most populous state of Uttar Pradesh. 

Dalits have become easy target. The Rajputs appear to have been emboldened with Yogi Adityanath becoming the chief minister who is himself a Rajput. Considering the castes complexities in UP, it is widely apprehended that caste tormentors are back along with untouchability. Experts believe UP could well become the nerve-centre of the country’s Dalit politics in the coming days. 

After the election results became known these experts apprehended trouble by Hindutva activists. Any such disturbance was attributed to the upper castes which could not tolerate political empowerment of Dalits. 

They are now taking revenge, committing attrocities. The upper castes also resent the Jai Bheem slogan which is a symbol of the empowerment of Dalits. For a while in the wake of disunity among its ranks, the Dalit movement had weakened. With the community votes divided in different parties they are now realising their political blunder. 

Dalit aggression can provoke Muslims to retaliate. All this is bound to adversely affect BSP supremo Mayawati who as the flag bearer of the Dalits was defeated lock, stock and barrel in both the general elections in 2014 and in the recent assembly elections. Her stock has hit an all time low. 

The BJP won a stunning victory after a gap of 17 years in UP. The SP as the other regtional heavyweight also came a cropper having been in power on its own for five years from 2012. 

The BJP’s strategy of wooing the OBCs among the Muslims as well as the Dalits paid rich dividends. However, Saharanpur is again in the eye of a storm for all the wrong reasons. 

The clashes after Yogi Adityanath was installed as the chief minister, has compelled the BJP brass to caution the chief minister impressing upon him to ensure that Thakur-Dalit clashes did not spread to other districts in the state. He has been asked to ensure he ensures even handedness in administering the state. 

The Dalits have alleged collusion between Yogi Adityanath and his caste breathern. There is fear among the Dalits that the dominant Thakur community will continue to harass them and is trying to force them to leave the village. Open threats were being issued and their women allegedly eve teased in the open. 

The DM and the SSP assured them that police had been deployed in the village and nobody would harm them. In the clashes two people died and 40 people seriously injured along with nearly 60 houses being burnt down. This happened on May fifth when the Thakurs took out a Maharana Memorial procession. 

With the BJP indulging in majoritarian politics and continuing attacks on Muslims by the self styled gau rakshaks in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana ruled by it. 

This has created fear and discrimination against Muslims. Dalits are reaching out to Muslims for mutual support and solidarity. The Bhim Army, spearheaded by a young lawyer, Chandrashekhar, seen as a replacement for Mayawati, is seeking cooperation from the Yadavs, Valmikis and other OBCs. With deprivation and discrimination binding them, they see a common adversary in the upper caste led Lotus party. 

MUMBAI: The world became a more peaceful place in 2017,according to figures released in the annual Global Peace Index (GPI). Since last year 93 countries recorded higher levels of peace while 68 deteriorated, resulting in an improvement in world peace. The improvement was mainly driven by lower levels of state-sponsored terror – extra-judicial killings and torture – and the prior withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan. The 11th edition of the index, published by international think-tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), captures the impact of political polarisation in the US stemming from the divisive 2016 Presidential Elections. Despite improvements in Canada, the growing intensity of internal conflict and declining level of trust in government saw the US fall 11 places to 114th, resulting in North America recording the largest drop of any region. Steve Killelea, Founder and Executive Chairman of the IEP commented: “While the true extent of such significant political polarity in the US will take years to be fully realised, its disruptive influence is already evident. Increasing inequality, rising perceptions of corruption, and falling press freedoms have all contributed to this substantial deterioration in the US and an overall decline in peace in the North America region.”   The report also analyses the rise of populism through the lens of Positive Peace – a measure of the attitudes, structures and institutions that sustain peace. The sharp increase in support for populist parties in the past decade closely corresponds with deteriorations in Positive Peace, with some of the largest falls recorded in Italy, France and Spain. Steve Killelea continued: “The increasing role of populist parties in mainstream European politics is reflected against a backdrop of deteriorating Positive Peace, specifically in terms of persistent challenges to the free flow of information, levels of corruption and acceptance of the rights of others. Without addressing these underlying drivers of peace it will not be possible to build more peaceful societies.” Despite the global number of deaths from terrorism decreasing by 10% between 2014 and 2015, the number of countries witnessing historically high levels of terrorism hit an all-time high in this year’s report at 23, including Denmark, Sweden, France, and Turkey. Europe was significantly impacted, with major attacks in Nice seeing France fall five places in the overall ranking to 51st. The impact of other attacks such as in Brussels and London were also evident, although the more recent attack in Manchester has yet to be reflected in the figures. Overall, the most significant increases in deaths from terrorism were in OECD countries, which have collectively experienced a 900% increase between 2007 and 2016. The IEP estimates the global impact of violence to have been 12.6% of world GDP in 2016 or $14.3 trillion. While still staggeringly high at $1,953 for every person in the world, this represents a slight (3%) decrease from 2015 and the first reduction since 2011 – the year that corresponds with the start of the Syrian war and ISIL’s territorial gains in Iraq. On average, violent conflict accounts for 37% of GDP in the ten least peaceful countries, compared to only 3% for the ten most peaceful. Syria remains the least peaceful country for the fifth year running, having fallen 64 places since the index began – the largest decline of the past decade. Iceland maintained its position as the world’s most peaceful country, a title it has held onto since 2008, while New Zealand and Portugal replace Denmark and Austria in second and third position. Portugal’s notable climb to third in the overall rankings was driven by a steady recovery from its fiscal crisis, resulting in overall greater internal stability for the country that was ranked 16th less than five years ago. Steve Killelea concluded “Although this year’s uptick is reassuring, the world is still mired with conflict in the Middle East, political turmoil in the US, refugee flows and terrorism in Europe. When combined with the increasing level of peace inequality, whereby the least peaceful countries are moving further apart from the most peaceful, the resulting scenario is one in which further improvements in peace are not guaranteed.” REGIONAL RANKING
Six of the nine regions became more peaceful with the greatest improvements recorded in South America. Europe held onto its position as the most peaceful region, while the MENA region remains the most violent. Countries in Europe make up eight out of the top ten ranks, making it the world’s most peaceful region, despite record levels of terrorism in a number of countries. Progress has been driven in part by a steady economic recovery which has bolstered scores for indicators such as likelihood of violent demonstrations. Poland witnessed the greatest deterioration as public protests resulting from political tensions escalated. More broadly, southeast Europe experienced widespread decline as an increasingly prominent nationalist rhetoric led to a deterioration in relations with neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. In the UK, the political uncertainty generated by the Brexit vote had little impact following the appointment of the new prime minister, which acted as a stabilising counterbalance.     The overall GPI score for North America fell in 2016 but its place as the second most peaceful region remained. The US experienced a significant decline, which contrasts with Canada’s improvement bringing it to 8th position in the GPI. The level of external conflict and weapons export indicators played a significant part in Canada’s improvement, despite rises in incarceration rates and terrorism impact. Most countries in the Asia-Pacific region experienced improvements in their overall scores, with New Zealand, Japan and Australia amongst the most peaceful globally and the Philippines and North Korea remaining among the least peaceful. The subsidence of political volatility in Cambodia last year meant it made more progress than any other country in the region. South America had the largest regional improvement in this year’s index, surpassing Central America and the Caribbean as the fourth most peaceful region, spearheaded by progress in Guyana and Argentina. Chile, ranked 24th in the Index is the region’s most peaceful country, while Colombia, despite the ratification of the peace accord between the government and the FARC, remains the region’s least peaceful country. Central America and the Caribbean fell one place since last year, with five of the 12 countries in the region experiencing deteriorations in peace. The region’s most turbulent country, Mexico, saw the most substantial decline as a consequence of deteriorating relations with the US, while Costa Rica, 34 in the overall GPI, was the region’s top performer, despite a slight deterioration. Sub-Saharan Africa’s average score fell this year with the most notable deterioration in Ethiopia. The government-imposed six-month state of emergency was reflected in indicators of domestic conflict, resulting from rising ethnic tensions and widespread violence stemming from public protest. The Central African Republic recorded the biggest improvement in the region and globally, as the country continues to emerge from a wave of inter-communal violence. Meanwhile Sierra Leone and Guinea, which have recovered from the 2014 Ebola outbreak, also registered improvements in their overall level of peace. Most countries in Russia and Eurasia recorded improvements in the 2017 GPI, but the region retains the third-worst regional score. Moldova, Kazakhstan and Georgia are the most peaceful countries in the region, and despite slight improvements in overall peacefulness, Azerbaijan, Russia and Ukraine are the three least peaceful. South Asia hosts some countries as peaceful as Bhutan (ranked 13th overall), yet also some of the least peaceful countries in the world such as Pakistan (152nd) and Afghanistan (162nd). The scores for Sri Lanka and Pakistan improved this year, while the only deteriorations (although moderate) were registered in Nepal and Afghanistan. In Nepal, a high level of political instability is partly to blame for the slow progress in rebuilding efforts after the devastating earthquake of 2015, while Afghanistan’s overall score deteriorated for the sixth successive year as overall hostility continued to increase.  MENA witnessed a further deterioration in its overall score in 2017, with regional instability exacerbated by the intense rivalry between Shia Iran and the Sunni Arab Gulf monarchies, with Saudi Arabia at the forefront. That said, almost half the countries have bucked the overall negative trend in the region by achieving an improvement in their overall score. Morocco continues to benefit from a broader degree of political and social stability, while tensions between Qatar and some fellow Gulf Arab states have eased.  

Unhappy over the Assam government’s proposed two-child norm, the Population Foundation of India (PFI) has written to Himanta Biswas Sarma, the State Health and Family Welfare recommending against the draft policy.

In a letter to Mr Sarma, the PFI Executive Director Poonam Muttreja has said “As a champion of a rights-based approach to family planning and sexual and reproductive health and rights, I request you to not rely on the two-child norm or any other coercive policy. Instead, may I invite you to work with us to work on changing social norms, ensuring universal access to family planning, ensure social and economic development policies are gender inclusive, and address and change behaviour patterns for population stabilisation in Assam.’’

The draft Population Policy of Assam is a document that evokes a deep awareness and understanding of the economic and social concerns of the state, a sense of determination to mend the gaps in the system, and a beacon of hope in its conviction. “For this, I must congratulate you and your cabinet. However, it is also one that fractures the single most fundamental mandate of family planning – it suggests that numbers matter more than people do,’’ the letter said.

Reminding Mr Sarma that India was the first developing nation with the foresight to formulate a National Family Welfare Programme in 1952, which was derailed by the forced sterilisations of 1975, Ms Muttreja said since then, especially, post the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairoin 1994, India changed the discourse from population “control” to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

“Following this paradigm shift in the discourse we have eliminated factors like coercion, disincentives, or a target-based approach to family planning as reflected in the National Population Policy, 2000.Not only does it compromise our commitment to a rights-based approach to family planning, it is also undemocratic and discriminatory,’’ she said. In the past, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh brought in the two-child norm to tackle high Total Fertility Rate. The policy did not bring down the high fertility in these states instead there was an increase in sex-selective abortions, incidents of women being deserted, and women giving their children up for adoption.

While Assam’s maternal mortality, infant mortality, and under-5 mortality is a cause for concern, the draft policy has made solid recommendations that will address this. The move to empower women and girls by making education free right up to university level, to lower the drop-out rates for girls, and measures that combine the roles of childbearing and participation in the workforce are crucial in achieving Assam’s population goals, Ms Muttreja has said in her letter.

Formulating appropriate family planning information and communication, improving primary care facilities, and focusing on pockets of unmet need for contraceptives will have the desired impact on strengthening women’s health and ensuring healthy children; lowering maternal, infant and child mortality. In Bangladesh, data has shown that if no child had died in a family the Total Fertility Rate was 2.6 children; when 1 child died the number was 4.7 children; 2 child deaths meant 6.2 children; and more than 3 child deaths boosted TFR to 8.3, the letter said.

“ I would like to take the liberty of presenting to you evidence from the case of China where a one-child policy was state law for 35 years till the country was forced to lift it in 2015. The country now finds itself in the midst of a population crisis. In fact, it was observed that ‘China’s dramatic post-1978 economic boom and the profound social changes unleashed by rising incomes and levels of education and rapid urbanisation would have driven down birth rates even in the absence of state birth planning campaigns.’

I would also like to juxtapose this with an example from the southern state of Kerala where the TFR reduced in all communities and across economic and social groups from 3.0 in 1979 to 1.8 in 1991. This was achieved not by coercion but by improving education, women and child welfare, and development. In neighbouring Sri Lanka, fertility rates were stabilised by simply increasing the age at marriage, a move that was made more effective by ensuring girls were educated,’’ she said in the letter.

NEW DELHI: India and Russia have signed Saint Petersburg Declaration as a roadmap to enhance cooperation after 18th annual bilateral summit. Both countries also released their vision for bilateral partnership in the 21st century on Thursday.  
According to a joint statement, issued during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia, both the countries will cooperate in all possible areas, including defence, counter-terror, intelligence sharing, connectivity initiatives trade and nuclear energy. 
It said that the leaders of both countries, in the year that marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations note that the Indian-Russian special is a unique relationship of mutual trust between two great powers. They called for early conclusion of negotiations on comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
New Delhi and Moscow also condemned terrorism in all forms. Both countries agreed for setting up of two units of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in third stage. Both nations have also agreed to co-operate on free Trade Area negotiations with Eurasian Economic Union.
Mr. Modi’s visit also marked signing of 12 agreements including the Saint Petersburg Declaration. Talking to CEO’s, Mr Modi invited Russian Business leaders to invest in india.
Prime Minister Modi has expressed happiness on the signing of St. Petersburg declaration. In a press meet at the Consantine Palace after meeting the CEOs, both the leaders had agreed to interact closely on various fields including economy, manufacturing, energy to name a few. Mr Modi said that India’s relations with Russia are special and proven to be as strong as ever standing shoulder to shoulder on issues whether it was terrorism or co-strategic interest. 
Expressing happiness at the Indo-Russian summit, Mr.Modi told that the relationship has grown extensively. He said that energy cooperation is a major area of the ties including cooperation in renewable energy and nuclear power. 
Prime Minister told that the units of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant 5 and 6 which was signed will improve the power situation in the country.Russian President Vladimir Putin told that India and Russia are ideal partners providing support to each other in strategic as well as economic and social matters. He said that 19 projects on pharmaceuticals, aircraft, car manufacturing, gems and diamonds and agriculture were on the pipeline.
Today, the Prime Minister looked forward to be a guest of honour for the first time in St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Audience at the Jawahar Kala Kendra at Jaipur was enthralled by a Japanese Shinto theatrical dance performance organized to mark 60 years of Japan India cultural relations. Organised by the Japan Foundation, New Delhi in collaboration with Jawahar Kala Kendra, performance was presented by the ‘Magisawa Kagura Group.’ Started in 1912, Magisawa Kagura is a folk performing art which held its first performance for a shrine in Magisawa district. The performance was by a group of 8 people. The performance is essentially a musical theatre for Shinto gods with toned narration and dance accompanied by big gongs, flutes and drums. The performers narrate mythological stories and folk tales through their dance.   The artistes in Jaipur presented two dance performances – Tori Mai and Sanbaso. While the former was a dance of fowls, the latter was a dance form that essentially wishes for plentiful production of grain. Sanbaso is worshipped as the God of harvest in this performance. The artistes in this performance were Shigeyuki Abe, Seiki Yoshida, Jun Iwabuchi, Hiroki Abe and Shinya Iwabuchi. 

NEW DELHI: Despite the achievements in indigenous shipbuilding, the Navy continues to be dependent on external assistance for niche technologies,  Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said here on Wednesday. 
“An important aspect in attaining 100% self-reliance in ship design and construction, therefore, is the indigenous development of high end technologies, their transition into shipborne equipment and systems, induction into Service and standardization. Self-reliance in defence production, which is a vital pre-requisite for achieving greater strategic autonomy, is no easy task and would require dedicated efforts by researchers, designers and manufacturers,” Admiral Lanba said. 
He was addressing a two-day international seminar with the theme ‘Building India’s Future Navy: Technology Imperatives’, organised by FICCI and being attended by the top brass of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, DRDO, industry leaders from India and abroad, academia and thinkers. The seminar provided a platform for an exchange of ideas on realising the indigenous development cycle for cutting edge technologies that would be vital to building India’s future navy towards meeting the Government’s vision of ‘Make in India’. Admiral Lanba who is also the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee stated that the Indian Navy has taken giant strides in the field of indigenous ship design and construction to transition from a ‘Buyer’s’ Navy to a ‘Builder’s’ Navy. 
The Naval Chief said the Indian Navy has taken the first step in this direction by formally articulating its indigenisation plans and need for the development of state-of-the-art systems and equipment through various policy and vision documents. This, along with initiatives like ‘Make in India’, would go a long way in building sustainable models for development of platforms and equipment requiring niche technologies. Admiral Lanba highlighted the three primary requirements that need to be met while inducting a technology or a product – affordability, timely delivery and performance. To these primary imperatives, the Navy Chief went on to add a fourth dimension – that of life cycle sustenance by providing seamless technical support and making the technology future proof. He stated that this aspect is most vital for building a navy of the future and the support of the industry therefore extends well beyond just supply to lifecycle product support. On the occasion, Admiral Lanba released two publications pertaining to compilation of papers authored by Naval officers on future technologies and a knowledge paper authored by FICCI. The Navy Chief also launched a web portal on Defence and Aerospace, developed by FICCI. The Seminar is structured around dedicated sessions to deliberate on Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) – Projects for the Indian Industry; Modern Trends in Maritime Communications; Cyberspace Operations and Information Warfare; Shipborne Propulsion and Power Generation; Missiles, Underwater and Directed Energy Weapons; Opportunities for Coastal States; Surveillance and Detection Systems; Transformation in the Aviation Sector; Autonomous Vehicles; Disruptive Technologies; Warship Building in India and Building India’s Future Navy: Realizing the ‘Make in India’ Initiative. Also speaking on the occasion, Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai, Past President, FICCI and Chairperson, Max Financial Services Ltd, said that the Seminar would provide a platform to the industry captains to understand and deliberate on the technology imperatives for a future ready naval force. She asked the industry to articulate their vision on how they could partner the Indian Navy and the other Defence Forces in achieving the stated goal of self-reliance through indigenisation.

New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) The government has ruled out talks with separatists in Kashmir and insists that the problem of violence is limited to just five districts of south Kashmir while the rest of the state is “in peace”.
The government is ready for talks on “development” with all other stakeholders, says Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, who questioned the demand for a Ramzan ceasefire.
In an interview with IANS, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said the state and central governments were making “best efforts to deal with the situation” in the Kashmir Valley which has been on the boil since the April 9 Srinagar Lok Sabha polls when eight civilian protesters were killed in firing by security forces guarding voting stations.
“We are determined to solve the problem” in Kashmir that “we inherited from previous Congress governments”, said the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief.
He rejected allegations that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-BJP coalition government led by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had failed to bring normalcy and contain surging violence in the state since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 last year. 
The militant leader’s death triggered a deadly wave of street violence that left 100 people dead in about five months of unrest last year. The year 2017 also began on a stormy note in the Valley with intermittent bouts of stone-pelting protests.
However, Naidu told IANS that the situation in the Kashmir Valley was still “better as compared with earlier UPA governments”.
“Kashmir, which is not our creation, is a 69-year-old problem. Where is the question of failing? It is all legacy of great Congress leaders.”
He said the trouble in the state was not as widespread as it was made out to be in the media.
“Other than five districts, remaining parts of the state are free from violence. Let us understand this. Except for south Kashmir, the state is in peace. In north Kashmir there is no major problem. In Jammu region, there is no major problem. In Ladakh region, there is no problem.
“Kashmir is not four south Kashmir districts. There is a problem. We have to (solve it). But at the same time, we have to send a message across the border that we will not accept terrorism.”
Asked about a possibility of a ceasefire during the current month of Ramzan that culminates in Eid celebration, the Minister said it was for the Home Minister to look into the demand. But he questioned the very demand itself.
“Ceasefire by whom? Won’t there be any stone-pelting? There will not be any terrorist activity? Will somebody give us an assurance? Suppose people were observing Ramzan and then there is some attack, who has to be responsible.”
Asked about talks with separatist groups in the valley, Naidu said all previous efforts of dialogue to solve the Kashmir issue have failed.
“How many years have we been talking? It has become a fashion for some people to make such demands and then be in news. Otherwise what is there in talks? Anybody who swears loyalty to India’s integrity. Yes, we should talk to them irrespective of which party they represent.” 
Asked if he was clearly ruling out talks with the separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference, the Minister said: “All I am saying is there is no question of disintegration of Kashmir. There is no question on the integrity of the country. 
“There are issues of development, lack of development in a particular region. There is no question of giving one inch of land to anybody. Development, we can talk with all. Why are we mentioning separatist? We are willing to talk with all Kashmiri people who are part of India.”
About the differences in the coalition government with the PDP led by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti demanding talks with Hurriyat leaders, Naidu said it was because “we are different parties”.
“It is the PDP which is saying that. Not the government. It may be their view, not our view. The point is, first restore normalcy. Allow the public life to move on.” 
He said the PDP-BJP have a “political understanding (and) are making an effort to see that we work through the elected government”. 
(V.S. Chandrasekar and Sarwar Kashani can be contacted at chandru.v@ians.in and sarwar.k@ians.in) 

BERLIN: Hailing Germany as among India’s most important partners bilaterally and globally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that his government is on the path of making India a global manufacturing hub and a good eco-system already existed in India for manufacturing.

In a hard sell of India’s growth story in Europe’s biggest economy, Mr. Modi said that Germany ranked 7^th among foreign investor countries in India. Major sectors attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows from Germany are engineering, chemicals and services.  “About 600 Indo-German joint ventures are presently operating in India. They provide employment to around 200,000 people. However, there is tremendous further potential in India-Germany economic collaboration. Our economic partnership is still below its full potential.’’

Addressing Indo-German Business Council in Berlin, Mr. Modi said that India is ready with open arms to welcome German companies. “With a view to help the German companies, we have put in place a Fast Track Mechanism. A number of issues have already been resolved through this mechanism. We are doing it sincerely because we value German participation a lot,’’ he told top business leaders of Germany.

The Prime Minister, on his second visit to Germany in three years, stressed on India’s strengths. He said that India already offers a  globally cost competitive manufacturing eco-system; a vast pool of skilled professionals with knowledge and energy; world class engineering education base and strong R&D facilities; rise in GDP and purchasing power creating further growth in the domestic market; one of the most liberal FDI Policy regimes in the world;  Government’s focus on easing the business environment further.

“Due to these strengths, as said by UNIDO, India is already the 6th largest manufacturing nation in the world. To make it better, we are working hard on various enablers,’’ he said.

Showcasing his pet ‘Make in India’ initiative, Mr. Modi said that his government was committed to transform India as a major player in the global value chain. “Prime motive is creation of jobs and narrowing the gap between affluent and lower sections of society. Make in India has already created a strong impact,’’ he said.  

He said that Germany is already contributing in a big way in the success of Make in India. Key areas for Indo-German collaboration include manufacturing, skill development, railways, cleaning of rivers, renewable energy, education, science and technology.

“In addition, we are also implementing a strategic market entry support Programme, since September 2015. It is called MIIM (Make in India Mittelstand). This is mainly to assist German Mittelstand Companies in entering the Indian Market,’’ Mr. Modi told business leaders.

Talking about global recognition to India’s efforts, Mr. Modi made several forceful points. India remains a bright spot in the subdued economic landscape across the world; India has emerged as the fastest growing major economy the last three years with GDP growth rate of over 7%;  India has moved up 32 places in last two years in the Global Competitiveness Index of the World Economic Forum- highest for any country;  India also moved up 19 places on the Logistics Performance Index of 2016 of World Bank; India is  3rd among the top 10 FDI destinations listed by UNCTAD;

Citing examples of reducing Government and enhancing Governance, Mr. Modi said that India is moving fast towards becoming a Digital Economy; GST is among the most historic reforms India has ever done- and it is going to be implemented from the next month; in the last two years, India has moved towards a low tax regime both on personal as well as corporate side; India has lowered the corporate tax from 30% to 25 % particularly for new investments and smaller ventures;  new laws and institutions for Bankruptcy and Insolvency as well as IPR and Arbitration are now in place; more than 7,000 reforms have been implemented on the front of Ease of doing business; 36 white industries have been taken out from the requirement of environmental clearance; more than 50 items have been taken out of defence list;  validity period of industrial licenses has been increased upto 15 years;  custom clearance has been made 24X7 at 19 ports and 17 air cargo complexes;  incorporating a company along with allotment of DIN, PAN, TAN and the CIN is now just one day affair; power connection is provided within a time frame of 15 days;  and India’s ranking is now up by 111 places on ‘Getting Electricity’ parameter of World Bank.

He said that several States in India have also cleared reforms which include  100% implementation of single window system for payments & approvals in 16 states; 100% implementation of e-filing of tax returns in 13 states; automated online building plan approval in 13 states and E-filing system for commercial disputes have been implemented in 11 states.

“India has one of the most liberal FDI Policy regimes in the world. More than 90% of the foreign investment flows are under automatic route. Last week we formally decided to abolish the Foreign Investment Promotion Board which was made in 1990s to examine the FDI proposals. The idea is to expand the engagement of overseas investors in the Indian economy. Due to this approach, Our FDI Outlook has been ranked highly positive by various International Agencies,’’ the Prime Minister said.

He said there has also been tremendous growth in the FDI inflows in the last three  years and has now reached to 60 billion US Dollars in 2016-17.

“India is a big country. Hence, nothing is enough when it comes to development. We have many dreams. And the dreams are big. But we have small timelines. And this is your opportunity. These opportunities range from building millions of houses to setting up hundreds of smart cities; modernization of railway networks and stations to setting up of high speed rail corridors; generation of renewable energy to construction of transmission and distribution networks. In addition, there is an ever growing need for National Highways, Bridges, and Mass Urban Transport systems, schools, hospitals and skill training institutes,’’ Mr. Modi told the business leaders.

“Our direction, desire and dreams create tremendous business opportunity. Never before, India was so much ready for business. We are on a take off stage. Moreover, our democratic values and an alert judicial system will ensure the safety of your investments,’’ he said. 

NEW DELHI: Is the time for state-owned Air India running out? The Maharaja is bleeding and its status in the intensive care unit certainly does not look very promising. Perhaps, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, a powerful and authoritative voice of the NDA government and the most reliable Cabinet colleague of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has let the cat out of the bag by strongly favouring disinvestment of the Air India. 
Mr. Jaitley has been quoted as saying that the market share of Air India is just around 14 percent whereas the debt burden is a whopping Rs. 50,000 crore. Speaking at Dialogue@DD News programme, Mr. Jaitley said that Air India was flying at the cost of tax payers’money and that money could have been used in key sectors like education and health. “In this country, if 87 or 86 percent flying can be handled by the private sector… then they can also do 100 percent,” he said. 
Recalling that he had rooted for disinvestment of Air India during the earlier NDA regime in 1999-2000, Mr. Jaitley said that he had argued at that time if the disinvestment was not done, nothing would be left to disinvest. Since then, the government has pumped in more money into the loss-making national flag carrier but returns are dismal. 
The bailout package was given to Air India by the then Manmohan Singh government which was to the tune of Rs. 30,000 crores and spread over 10 years. 
In 2015-16, Air India showed operational profit of Rs 105 crore mainly due to low fuel prices and some rise in its passenger numbers as after the 2007 merger with Indian Airlines, there was only single state-owned entity — Air India  both domestically and internationally. 
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju last week said Air Indias books were  “bad”, but added that the government wanted the carrier to survive. 
A Parliamentary Committee on Transport, headed by CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, had termed the Air India-Indian Airlines merger as a “hasty” one which had been done without appling any mind. The then Civil Aviation Minister and NCP leader Praful Patel had described the merger as “absolutely” perfect which would take care of growing civil aviation market. The merger had been vetted by an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM). 
Another blow to Air India came when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered three cases into alleged irregularities in the purchase of 111 aircraft worth Rs. 70,000 crores, leasing of planes and surrender of profit-making routes. The agency would also inquire into the Air India-Indian Airlines merger during the UPA regime which allegedly caused losses running into thousands of crores. 
Civil aviation analysts  have often blamed poor management skills, serving VIPs by the national carrier as well as social and national obligations in the  times of natural calamities, participation in evacuation programmes as being some of the areas not served by the private airlines. After the merger, Indian Airlines, one of the most cherished Indian brands in the national and international skies, ceased to exist and the Maharaja’s glory seems to be fading with the passing of each year. It is time, the Modi government took a bold decision to let go of Air India into private hands so that a lean and mean entity can serve the country and the travelling public and in the process can sustain itself economically. 

New Delhi : Welcoming the diverse assessments of three years of his government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday underlined the significance of constructive criticism in strengthening democracy and assured the people that mistakes and shortcomings would be rectified.

Delivering his first “Mann Ki Baat” after completion of three years in office on Friday, Modi also took on the critics of his monthly radio address, which he said enabled him to become a member of every family in India. 

“Audit and assessment of the performance of the present government in the last three years is happening all over on newspapers, social media or TV for the last 15 days. There have been many surveys and several opinion polls. I see this entire process as a very healthy sign,” Modi said. 

“Constructive criticism strengthens democracy, for an aware nation, an awakened nation, this churning is very important,” he said, referring to the surveys which highlight both praise and criticism of his government’s record so far.

He said the work done by his government was tested on every touchstone and analysed by every segment of society. 

“This is a great process in democracy. I firmly believe that governments must be accountable in democracy and the public at large must be provided with report card of works done,” he said, expressing gratitude for the critical and important feedback. 

“The mistakes and the shortcomings once highlighted can be rectified. Whether something is good, little less effective, or bad, whatever it is, one has to learn from it and move ahead in life, putting the learning from it into practice.” 

“Some people take ‘Mann Ki Baat’ as a monologue and some criticise it from a political angle,” he said admitting that he never thought that programme launched two years ago would make him a member of every Indian family. 

“Now I feel as if I’m conversing with my family while sitting at home,” said Modi, describing himself as “ordinary citizen” who, like all, is “influenced by good or bad things”.

He said the release of the book “Mann Ki Baat: A Social Revolution on Radio” by Presidnet Pranab Mukherjee on Friday, was an inspirational event for him. 

The book is a compilation by Rajesh Jain of Modi’s monthly radio addresses. He also expressed his gratitude for UAE-based Indian artist Akbar Saheb who has done the illustrations in the book without taking money. 

Pitching for World Yoga Day (June 21), Modi appealed to families to post pictures of their three generations performing the exercises together on ‘Narendra Modi App’ or ‘MyGov’, to give a new dimension to event which, he said, has attracted global attention in very short span of time. 

“Much like it connects body, mind, heart and soul, yoga is now connecting the world. When disruptive forces are tearing the world apart, yoga has come as greet gift form India, uniting the world,” he said. 

Modi also promised daily postings about yoga on Twitter till the eve of the Yoga Day and urged the people to contribute towards promoting the “movement on preventive health care”.

Focusing on the upcoming World Environment Day, he announced launch of a “massive movement” for waste collection across 4,000 cities of the country from June 5, under which separate bins — green for liquid waste and blue for dry waste — will be installed in these cities to develop a culture of segregating the two waste types. 

“We must not treat garbage as waste, it is wealth, a resource,” he said, stressing the importance of waste management. 

Modi also greeted the nation on beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims keep a dawn-to-dusk fast.

Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, ends with Eid ul-Fitr, and depending on the lunar calendar that Muslims follow it lasts either 29 or 30 days, with sighting of the new moon as the indicator.