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The ninth edition of the DefeExpo 2016, the biennial land, naval and internal homeland security systems exhibition opened in Naqueri-Quitol, South Goa on March 28. The four-day mega event has travelled out of the Capital and is being held in Goa for the first time. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, also a former Chief Minister of Goa, inaugurated the DefExpo and unveiled the new Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) which gives top priority to the Indian-designed, developed and manufactured (IDDM) category. “”This DPP can actually push the agenda of `Make in India’ and India’s target of achieving major successes in creating a defence industry network for its own needs as well as exports,”” Mr. Parrikar said.

• The government will finance 90% of the cost of producing defence equipment by the private sector under a new sub-category in the DPP-2016.
• The defence sector is a key sector among the 25 sectors of industry covered under the initiative, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014.
• “”The government is proactive in promoting Make in India. Startup India can be a big contributor in the defence sector. With the new DPP, we have ensured that transparency is greater and clearances are faster,”” Mr. Parrikar said while inviting the industry to participate in a big way.
• “”The DPP favours swift decision making, provides for suitable timelines and delegates powers to the appropriate authorities to ensure an efficient and effective implementation of the procurement process, by all stakeholders concerned,”” the DPP said.
• For the past several years, the private sector’s engagement in the defence sector has not been substantial as the domestic manufacturing is still dominated by the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB). India continues to import high-tech and major defence equipment and is the largest importer of arms globally.
• In the recent past, companies like Bharat Forge Ltd, Reliance Industries Ltd, the Tata Group, Larsen and Toubro Ltd, the Godrej Group, the Kalyani group, the Punj Llyod group and the Mahindra Group have shown interest in scouting for business opportunities.
• Global giants like Airbus and Boeing are also keen to make their products in India and exporting them.
• As many as 1055 Indian and foreign companies from 47 countries are participating in DefExpo 2016 as against 624 in 2014.
• The pavilions of Russia, the U.S. and Israel are among the largest in the exhibition which is spread over an area of 40,725 square meter.

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The daring terrorist attack executed with clinical precision at the airport and the metro during peak rush hour in Brussels on March 22 has sent shock waves in Europe requiring re calibrating and upgrading security measures not just in Belgium but all of interconnected Europe. Ever since one of the main suspects of the Paris carnage Salah Abdeslam, who was preparing for more attacks in Europe, was arrested in Brussels recently after a hunt lasting four months, the threat became imminent. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel’s expressed their helplessness in no uncertain terms by emphasizing “”what we feared has happened”” thereby acknowledging the failure of the intelligence and security establishments. The terrorists have not just sent a strong message to Belgium but the entire European establishment.

The Islamic State (IS) which has claimed responsibility is making the point that it cannot be wished away or cowed down despite being bombed by Western powers in its den in Syria. One of the reasons for these attacks in faraway locations in that the group is facing military setbacks in and around the so called ‘caliphate’ the seat of its influence. For Europe, the chinks in its armor have to be bridged urgently. All countries including India must step up the vigil. No country can afford to be terror stricken especially as questions have been raised if terrorism has managed to get an upper hand especially in Europe. Ibrahim El Bakraaoui, the suicide bomber who killed 11 people at the airport was apprehended by Turkish authorities last summer just a few miles from the border with ISIS heartland in Syria. Police returned El Bakraaoui to Europe and warned he was a known extremist who posed a terror threat in his home country of Belgium.

However, officials in the Netherlands and Belgium let him walk free saying there was no evidence that he had committed a crime. Europe has also to consider the idea of a border-less continent and whether such a proposition can provide adequate security from terrorists being able to travel back and forth freely. The significance of striking at the headquarters of the European Union cannot be overlooked. The demand for stronger borders is bound to arise in the wake of this terrorist attack. The heightened search for jihadists has led to the arrest of seven persons — six in Belgium and one in France. What is alarming is that there is a serious assimilation problem with the refugees in Europe especially in Belgium which has the maximum number of 500 IS operatives and sympathizers compared to all the other countries in Europe.

Recent attacks in Europe shows that indoctrinated local youth have been carrying out these attacks. Europe has to find ways of stopping its youth from getting radicalized. There have been voices in Belgium underlining the need to effectively silence these elements spreading terror so that people can pursue their normal life. At the same time terrorists are increasingly picking soft targets at crowded places for maximum impact globally. It wants to create panic in societies known for their democratic and pluralistic values. The growing perception is that the IS has declared war on civilization. Ordinary believers of Islam have become as much victims of terror as others who are followers of different faiths. If the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria are tormenting much of West Asia, it is al Shabab and other affiliates of Al Qaeda which are attacking the innocent at regular intervals in large parts of Africa.

Even though the United States has not seen a major terrorist attack since 9/11, it has managed to foil a number of similar plots. The main conspirators of last November’s attacks in Paris were holed up in Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. The migrant crisis has compounded the problems for the Europeans. Statistics reveal that Belgium has the maximum number of 500 young people owing allegiance to the IS compared to any other country in Europe. It has been widely suggested that there may have been five terrorists in Brussels and that Abdesalam’s arrest some days back might have foiled strikes on the Belgian nuclear plants which would have been catastrophic. It has become apparent that Belgian authorities missed the signals of the diabolical plans of the terrorists. They are getting irritated and frustrated with others finding fault with them.

Investigators must remain calm rather than getting provoked. The authorities in Brussels have disclosed that it might take them weeks before verifying the DNA samples taken from tiny body parts of the suicide bombers. This means that families from around the world have a long and agonizing wait to know if their loved ones are among the dead. Terrorists despise the very freedoms that Europeans enjoy because in their wildest dreams they cannot imagine a society in West Asia which is open, progressive and multicultural. In the carnage in Brussels 30 people died and nearly 300 people were injured. What is of concern is that Europe is already fractured by debates over immigration and race.

At the same time security services have not been able to track and apprehend those terrorists whose identity as being the perpetrators of the Brussels attack was already known. Intelligence experts contend that greater intelligence sharing among European allies would have offset this perceived advantage to terrorists of the free movement rule. The specific aspect of intelligence sharing might come up at a special meeting of EU ministers to discuss the fallout of the Brussels blasts. Despite all this there is also the inherent problem that intelligence is usually never shared fully. Under the circumstances can real time intelligence sharing without holding back anything have saved precious lives and foiled the terrorist attack. India could lose much as it has a significant presence of its diaspora in West Asia which has the portends of threatening its energy security and business interests.Nevertheless, the offensive against the IS with Russian assistance has enabled the Syrian army to take control of Palmyra captured by the terror group last year. Paris and now Brussels has revealed what the IS can do. International powers and those fighting the scourge of terrorism must come together to defeat the threat of peace and stability in the region. There is also a dirty nuclear angle to this which cannot be ignored. Coordinated action against the IS has become imperative to restore the territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria.

(The writer is a senior journalist and commentator. Views are personal)“

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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate $848 million (Rs. 5,681 crore) in funding to develop solar parks across India. Through the agreement, USAID will align the technical resources of two of its programs to support ADB’s investments in the development of solar parks and renewable energy transmission infrastructure in states at the forefront of India’s efforts to promote clean energy. The collaboration will initially focus on Rajasthan. The cooperation will design and develop public-private partnership models as well as study options for managing grid reliability. In particular, USAID technical activities will help place investments of $348 million (Rs. 2,331 crore) by ADB for transmission infrastructure for renewable energy deployment in western Rajasthan.

USAID will also work with ADB across India with an additional $500 million (Rs. 3,350 crore) of investment in the design and development of solar parks. The Indian government’s target for renewable energy is 175 Gigawatts of installed capacity by 2022. In support of this, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched a solar parks scheme to attract investment from project developers by reducing risks, streamlining the permitting process, bringing down cost through economies of scale, and modernizing infrastructure to allow easier integration of renewable energy into the grid. MNRE plans to establish 25 solar parks with a combined capacity of 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2020. This agreement between USAID and ADB will help finance the development of solar parks in support of the Government of India’s renewable energy targets. The agreement was signed by Jonathan Addleton, Mission Director, USAID/India and M. Teresa Kho, Country Director, India Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank.”

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A fact-finding team that visited West Bengal to investigate the attack on Kaliachak police station on January 3 has said the attack was not planned by the organizers of the rally, and criminals seem to have taken advantage of the situation. Quoting a number of eye-witnesses, the fact-finding team has arrived at this conclusion and said that it was media reports that alleged it to be a communal attack by the Muslims. “”The involvement of certain political parties and Hindu nationalists in spreading rumours and giving the incident communal hue at the crucial time before the West Bengal Assembly elections needed investigation,”” the report of the fact-finding team of CSSS said. The team comprised Irfan Engineer, Director of the Mumbai-based Centre for Study of Society and Secularism that organized the probe; Subhapratim Roychowdhury, AAMRA; Nasim Akhtar Choudhury, ActionAid and Anupam Adhikary, Criminals seemed to have taken advantage of the rally, and behind the cover of the rally carried out their attack on the police station. Their target was not any member of the Hindu community but the police station and criminal records therein. Their target was also the RAF personnel quarters. They seem to have reacted to the crackdown on their illegal activities, the report says.

Highly critical of the role of the media on the whole, with exceptions of course, the report says media coverage of the attack on Kaliachak Police Station by criminals who happened to be Muslims, was given communal overtones and portrayed as if the incident was a national disaster under the influence of Hindu nationalists and their propaganda. “”Worst and more violent attacks on state properties and on police occur in which non-Muslims are involved and they do not receive national coverage on the scale that the Kaliachak incident received. On account of the scale of media coverage, even the secular minded prominent citizens and civic and political organizations from all over the country felt obliged to condemn the attack as if it was communally motivated and of national significance,”” the report says. Pointing out that competition between two organizations – Ahle Sunnatul Jamaat and Idara-e-Sharia – to hegemonize and control the Muslim community seems to be the motive behind the organization of the rally which ultimately led to attack on the police station. “”Such competitive mobilization and any reaction to any provocation should be avoided to defeat the communal politics. The more these organizations react to provocation, the more elements from Hindu nationalists are encouraged to provoke the community by publicizing derogatory remarks against the holy Prophet. Such provocations must be fought legally rather than on streets. At times Muslim community organizations pick up issues more out of political objectives rather than love and reverence for the holy Prophet,”” the report has said.

Noting with pain the criminal-police nexus and the normalcy and the way in which the serious crimes are taken with a casual attitude, the report says that the state has done pretty little to ameliorate the dwindling livelihoods of the people due the riverine draining of alluvial soil from the Gangetic planes. The unemployed are used by the criminals as labourers in their “industry”. The Hindu eyewitness told us that as a result of growing poppy cultivation, the vegetables have become costly as the area under food crop is going down. “”Pro-active measure to promote peace and strengthen relations between different communities would have to be undertaken. The initiative from the political parties – even TMC and CPI (M) was lacking to say the least. The secular Hindu leaders of TMC and CPI (M) could also have taken peace initiative but the efforts were lacking. Hindu nationalists are trying their level best to misuse the violent attack on Kaliachak police station to create fear among Hindus about Muslims by demonizing them as violent-criminals-terrorists-anti-nationals-prowling upon Hindu women,”” the report recommends.

Suggesting that political parties were trying to communally polarize the situation for political objectives, the report says that this needs to be countered in the long run. Legal action needs to be taken against them for the offence of promoting enmity, ill-will and hatred between Hindus and Muslims and openly publishing and distributing such leaflets. Such attempts also need to be countered politically by dispelling such propaganda by secular political forces and exposing the political designs of the Hindu nationalists, it says.”

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By October this year, 1,000 widows in Vrindavan will have a decent place to live. Much before that several ‘ashrams’ there which are home to thousands of destitute women will have Water Purifying Systems, solar power plants and many other facilities. The huge shelter home to be constructed by the Union Women and Child Development Ministry and the facilities announced by the Akhilesh Yadav-government just this week will, no doubt, bring some relief to thousands of women who have made the streets of Vrindavan their home for years. But these women need much more than just this. Help comes to widows as charity and not out of a sense of responsibility towards them or because they deserve to live with dignity. Whatever is being done by the governments appears to be too little, too late. So far, whatever efforts have been made are by non-governmental organizations. These, too, are in silos, not concerted and coordinated.

Many groups working for the welfare these widows have often disagreed with each other. While some work on the policy of empowering women by making them economically independent, there are others who believe many of these are very old to be skilled now and need monthly maintenance in addition to shelter and medical facilities. Just as the Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi laid the foundation of the 1,000 capacity special shelter home under ‘Swadhar Greh Scheme’—the largest one to be established or funded by the government – social activist Mohini Giri shot off a letter to the Minister asking her to ensure that the women were skilled and empowered and not made dependent on doles as was being done by Mr Bindeshwar Pathak.

Reminding Ms Gandhi that as Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, she had funded shelter homes for widows including Ma Dham – being managed by her – Ms Giri said that over 2000 women had been empowered by imparting skills at the homes and many of who were now employed or self-employed. There was also a huge sanitary napkin collection centre which sold sanitary napkins in the rural areas at a cost of Re 1 per piece. Ms Giri has further reminded the Minister that there were five other shelter homes in Vrindavan which needed much to be desired and asked her to make a surprise check at these homes so that the real condition of these shelter homes is known. She points out that these were being run by the tax-payers money and hence needed to be held accountable.

Regretting to inform that these widows had picked up a habit of picking up doles and collecting charity by way of Rs 2,000 being distributed by Mr Bindeshwar Pathak. “”While I appreciated the sentiment behind the doles, this has transformed many widows into lazy women and are not willing to be empowered,”” she said while adding that they collected the doles given as sarees, utensils, blankets and such things which were then sold in the market instead of being used while in some case the children of these women came every month to collect the cash while suggesting that empowering women was more sustainable and dignified than living on charity. Mr Pathak  has been giving cash in addition to other facilities to over 2,000 widows in Vrindavan and Varanasi after the Supreme Court directed his organization to provide welfare of the widows.

The government’s, on their part, have failed to rise to the occasion and draft a concrete policy or scheme for rehabilitation of these hapless women. In fact, the only time the governments intervened was when the Supreme Court called for a survey of the shelter homes and the condition of women living in there. The report presented a pathetic condition of the women – particularly after death as the report revealed bodies of these women were chopped to pieces and disposed off in garbage as there was no provision for their cremation, and no one would spend money on this. These women have been there for decades—surviving on alms, charity and pity. The U.P Government never considered that these women needed more than charity, and neither did the other State from where they come, particularly West Bengal from where more than 80 per cent of these women come. Ideally, respective State governments should ensure that destitute, abandoned and widows are looked after by the state by rehabilitating women who are abandoned by their children or who do not want to live with their families, and ensuring that they are skilled to earn a dignified living and their legal rights are protected.”

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The Centre has announced Unified Building Bye-laws for Delhi making them user friendly by introducing single window system for clearances. Revised after 33 years, the applicants can make one single online application to concerned urban local body instead of approaching various agencies thereby enabling approvals in just 30 days. The single window mechanism will improve the ease of doing construction business in the national capital as desired by the Prime Minister’s Office besides promoting investments. “Delhi’s Building Bye-laws were last revised in 1983 and several amendments were made over the last 3 decades resulting in complexity and even confusion in understanding various changes and filing applications accordingly. To do away with this problem, the Bye-laws have been unified for easy reference besides simplification of processes” Union Urban Development Minister vankaiah Naidu said.

The Minister said that building plan approvals have been streamlined through simplification and integration of processes by introducing a common single application form which has been devised for online submission by the applicant to the urban local body concerned instead of applying to various agencies like Airports Authority of India, National Monuments Authority, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Urban Arts Commission, Delhi Metro, Power Distribution Companies, concerned central ministries like Forests, Railways, and Defence.  Applicants will not be required to make required payments to various agencies separately and instead can make single payment to the concerned urban local body electronically. Seamless integration has been put in place so that concerned urban local body will obtain approvals from other concerned agencies online there by drastically reducing the time taken for sanctions besides eliminating human interface with various agencies.

AAI, NMA, DUAC, and DMRC have been integrated for single window clearance. Central Ministries concerned will be integrated shortly. By this, applicants will not be required to separately approach these agencies for approvals/No Objection Certificates. The Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change has now concurred to integrate approvals by agreeing to empower urban local bodies to accord Environmental Clearance for built up area up to 1,50,000 sq.mt as against the present norm of obtaining EC from State Environment Assessment Authorities under  that Ministry for built up area of 20,000 sq.mt and above up to 1,50,000 sq.mtrs. Under SARAL Scheme, for residential plots of size up to105 sq.mtrs, the plot owner need not obtain sanction of building plans.

He/she has to just to submit an undertaking intimating about construction along with requisite fees and other documents to start construction. Under-risk based classification newly adopted for residential plotted buildings and warehouses/storage facilities/godowns, architect/engineer is empowered to issue building permits for Low Risk residential buildings (105-500 sq.mtrs) and Very Low Risk godowns of upto 250 sq.mtrs. For Low Risk and Moderate Risk category buildings, local bodies will be required to grant permits within 10 to 20 days. Approvals /No Objection Certificates by external agencies like AAI, NMA, Delhi Fire Services, DMRC, and Ministry of Environment shall be issued within 15 days. The number of documents to be submitted for obtaining building permits has been reduced from 40 to just 14 while the procedure for obtaining Completion-cum-Occupancy Certificate has been simplified by reducing the number of documents to be submitted by the owner from 36 to just 9.

Obtaining permission for commencement of construction has been removed. Instead, the applicant, who had already obtained building permit can intimate the concerned local body and proceed with construction work. The maximum time limit for granting building permit has been reduced from 60 days to just 30 days to enhance the ease doing business. In the context of climate change challenge, the Unified Building Bye-laws for Delhi -2016 seek to promote green and sustainable construction practices. All buildings on plot sizes of more than 105 sq.mtrs have to conform to the mandatory green building norms for obtaining sanctions. These include provisions for Water Conservation and Management, Solar Energy Utilization, Energy Efficiency and Management. These measures help in making Delhi more sustainable and environment friendly. New Bye-laws require measures for ensuring safety in terms of provisions for structural design and earthquake disaster mitigation.

All buildings and facilities used by the public such as educational, institutional, assembly, commercial, business, mercantile buildings and group housing shall have provision for universal design for differently-abled persons, children and the elderly. Owners of plots of more than 3,000 sq. mtrs area shall construct public washroom complexes with access from outside, in addition to other mandatory sanitary requirements.”

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turnoftortoise.png The big question staring India is whether we are ready for the future? Given its strengths what is it that this country needs to do differently. It is the third largest contributor to world growth with a two trillion Dollar market. In his first book — THE TURN OF THE TORTOISE: THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF INDIA’S FUTURE — renowned journalist T N Ninan believes like the proverbial tortoise, India is now finally in a position to reach some of its long-sought-after goals having made steady progress for years. He provides a compelling overview of the emerging trends of politics, the inescapable Chinese shadow over India as well as the relationship between the state and the people. He wonders if manufacturing can be made a success story and who and what the Aam Aadmi really is and if possible put an end to real poverty. Above everything else the crucial issue is whether this country’s turn has finally come? Ninan explains in his straightforward style where India stands today and the prognosis over the next decade. He looks at the country’s future after carefully studying a mountain of complex data and statistics.

Given India’s size and confusion coupled with its failures and frustrations, the soft spoken author believes “”this country has held together quite well and its record has been rather good. It could have been much worse.”” Giving a clear picture is difficult as India is messy and complicated. Interestingly this book comes at a time when China is slowing down, its workforce shrinking, and its economic model going through wringing change — but also when it is asserting itself abroad. How India performs at this juncture will determine many outcomes. The author refrained from betting that India will be ‘shining’, as a government did hoping in vain for re-election. What is true though is that the country is well positioned to reach for some of its long-sought-after-goals like the slow moving tortoise that at long last sees some end points in sight. It would of course be ideal if India steps on the accelerator. But the important point is it does not have to do anything out of the ordinary or seek to become what it is not. It has just to keep making steady progress over the ground to be covered. It is not too much to ask for which is why it may happen.

It is the poorest large national economy with the lowest per capita income among the forty large economies that account for 90 per cent of the world GDP. This will change only slowly. India is full of potential. Rapid economic growth by a catch up country means that many products and service markets can grow in even the short space of a decade, in multiples, not just in percentages. Poor countries also function suboptimally, so opportunity comes in a package deal that includes many challenges. The combined market value of companies listed on India’s stock market has grown from $ 125 billion in 2002 to $ 1.58 trillion in 2015. The dramatic growth of the mobile phone industry is a result of an enabling policy. Much of the recent record of economic growth is on account of reform measures announced in 1991. Government policy and action have certainly been factors contributing to the success stories. India has suffered grievously from failures in the policy area but it has coped because of long years of steady growth combined with the development of educated manpower to create a substantial market of the growing middle class and neo middle class.

These have proved to be semi autonomous drivers of domestic investment and magnets for global firms. Bharat is about to become the seventh largest economy in 2015. It has the potential to become the fourth largest by overtaking Germany, Britain and France. A $ 2.3 trillion economy growing at seven per cent annually would make India the third largest contributor to world economic growth, and it could retain that position in the foreseeable future. Government policy should be simple and focussed. India has found it difficult to introduce the kind of reforms it now needs. If the required changes are introduced there is no reason why annual growth of eight per cent and more should not be achieved rivalling what Rapid Growth Asia managed to do in the 1980s and 1990s. The downside risks are not to be dismissed lightly since the country has already witnessed a plunge from 8.9 per cent growth to 4.9 per cent in two short years of 2012-13. What went mostly unreformed in 1991 and later were the four factor markets. This was not for lack of trying because governments have been constantly obsessed about policy issues relating to land and labour. Both are intensely political subjects.

The clash of strong interest groups, the failure to apply clear principles and the role of intermediaries seeking to protect their positions or to cash in on insider advantage, all of these have kept the rules complicated and unsatisfactory.Meanwhile, both productivity and incomes will go up substantially if more people can be moved from low paying agriculture to higher paying industry and services — a key transition that the country has barely begun. At the same time acquiring job related skills without the benefit of basic education is a challenge. The employment challenge gets more complicated than simply developing the manufacturing sector especially since increasing automation and new technologies will not only make manufacturing but also software services and back office work less manpower intensive than hitherto. China has started moving out of some labour intensive industries because its wage costs have risen substantially in the wake of rapid economic growth

A rough rule of the thumb wages in India would appear half of those in China. As principal failures have to do with policymaking, there is too little of government attention paid to core areas like law and order, education and health — too few judges, too few teachers who teach, too few hospital beds; also too few trade negotiators and too few policemen especially those with proper training. Important lessons should be drawn from the experience of the last six decades. The cold truth is that the tasks taken on by the states, viewed in their entirety, are beyond the capacity of the Indian state to deliver. The limitation is that private players can replace government companies, not the government itself. There is no one in Indian politics who actually believes in making governments focus on the essentials alone and shed the rest. One of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogans was “”minimum government, maximum governance””. Nothing that he has done in the last one year as Prime Minister suggests that he will minimise government or address serious administrative reforms. His broad approach has been as interventionist and maximalist like anyone else. Defensive response or failure to reform at home in the new scheme of things merely weakens the country’s hand abroad. China has learnt that lesson well; India has not, emphasises Ninan. Finally, there is the question of whether the country’s constitutional liberalism will gradually give way to less-than-liberal democracy. That is the major worry and the Modi government needs to put such widespread apprehensions to rest. That is a million Dollar question? A highly absorbing and must read book.

TR

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.)
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There is a major stumbling block for Barrack Obama in the last year of his two-term Presidency of the United States in leaving a significant legacy in foreign policy by ending more than 50 years of enmity with neighbouring Cuba in the Carribean. Historic Initiative A historic initiative by Obama amid the somewhat subdued enthusiasm of host President Raul Castro, the younger brother of the legendary Fidel Castro, bothof whom are in their 80s. That paved the way for Obama’s three-day visit to Havana last month from March 20 accompanied by his wife Michelle and two daughters, all of which was unimaginable for Americans. The visit by the first African American President has taken place after President Coolidge visited Cuba 88 years back in 1928. It should be viewed as a success despite the inherent pitfalls on the Capitol Hill. This is particularly so as it requires decisive action in removing the economic sanctions.

It is not going to be easy as the Republicans are in a majority in both the Congress and the Senate. It appears improbable for now and unlikely to happen any time soon.At the same time the bitterness of the Cuban leaders against the only super power in the world is understandable because of the economic blockade sincethe cold war era. That has caused incalculable harm to Cuba’s development endeavours. This is evident from Raul Castro’s remarks against the US administration. His elder brother Fidel Castro, 89, went a step further writing an extremely bitter and lengthy open letter to Obama that “”we don’t want the empire to give us any presents.”” Running into at least five pages, Fidel suggested Obama should “”reflect and not develop theories about Cuban politics. We are capable of producing the material wealth we need with the intelligence and work of our people,”” he added.

It is apparent the Cubans are deeply hurt because Obama avoided making even a courtesy call on the leader of the revolution Fidel Castro.Hope Floats At the same time Obama’s sojourn to Havana has raised hopes and already led to ease of travel along with allowing Cuban immigrants to send remittances to their homeland thereby lifting the ban on Cuban financial transactions going through U S banks along with free flow of information to Cuba. After all politics and diplomacy is the art of the impossible. With the US and Cuba having been bitter enemies since the cold war era it might have been impossible to visualise an American President and his family walking down the old streets of old Havana in the rain carrying umbrellas or Obama meeting Raul Castro in the Palace of Revolution. It is widely seen as being uncharacteristic of Obama who has been circumspect and guarded in his foreign policy initiatives.

This assumes importance as diplomatic relations after being re-established were severed in 1961. After more than half a century the process of rapproachment began in December 2014 and in the last several months Washington unveiled certain steps including removing Cuba from the list of nations charged with sponsoring terrorism aimed at overcoming the trust deficit in the bilateral relations. Havana reciprocated by reopening its embassy in Washington. And Mistrust Not to Vanish Overnight Obama took the initiative of visiting Cuba hoping that the animosity between between the two countries might well be a thing of the past. The mistrust is not going to vanish overnight. The erstwhile Soviet Union which had helped Cuba and in its present avatar as the Russian Federation is keen for Havana to build friendship with the US. Cuba has held its own both in Latin America and during the disintegration of the Soviet Union even though it was largely depended on aid from Moscow.

Cuba’s response to positive overtures from the US was essentially on account of its economic imperatives. This did not necessarily mean that Cuba had set aside its old grievances which came to the fore at the joint press conference addressed jointly by Obama and Raul Castro in Havana. Obama was candidly that he did not have the authority to lift economic sanctions. Only the Republicans can remove them. Under the circumstances it is going to be extremely difficult for the Obama administration to certify that a democratically elected government is in power in Cuba. The ordinary American is scared of Communism and dictatorship. This makes it abundantlyclear that both sides will have to work hard in normalising their relations. On his part Raul Castro will have to undertake necessary reforms which might be extremely difficult for the host President. He lambasted Washington for its continued intervention in Cuban affairs, saying “”nobody should demand that the Cuban people renounce their freedom and sovereignty. The future of Cuba will be decided by the Cubans, not by anybody else.””

What is critical pertains to what the next US President’s Cuban policy will be. An incoming President is not known to disrespect the assurances given by his immediate predecessor barring the imponderables. Nevertheless the next generation of leaders by and large have been known to give weightage to strengthening the edifice of friendship created by the outgoing Head of State. Cuba’s Economic Isolation
Obama himself felt that the economic isolation of Cuba was becoming outdated even though the sanctions were strengthened in 1961 creating bad blood among the Latin American countries towards the US. Interestingly he observed while in Havana that the US should not impose its values on its neighbour. However, Obama questioned Cuba’s policies on political prisoners, dissidence and human rights. Castro drew pointed attention to the US record on universal health care and education guaranteed in the Island nation as well as race relations and economic inequality. Lifting of the economic sanctions assumes top priority for Cuba. Obama is working on ending the economic sanctions in a gradual manner while trying to build business relationships.

Political isolation and the trade embargo enforced by the US has caused great damage to Cuba and its people. As for the rest of the hemisphere, their dissatisfaction towards the US has also grown. Republican presidential aspirants Donald Trump and Ted Cruz were quick to dismiss Obama’s trip to Cuba as “”misguided diplomacy.”” Critics in Obama’s Democratic party have questioned the President’s approach as naive and dangerous. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez observed “”I understand the desire to make it a legacy issue, but there is still the fundamental issue of freedom and democracy at stake.”” Then there are the optimists willing to bet that Obama and Raul Castro might well pave the way for a new chapter in their bilateral relations.

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. Views expressed are personal.)

 

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School children and people of Goa lined up on Thursday to witness the largest ever land, naval and internal security exhibition held for the first time in this coastal State. Curiosity factor was uppermost in the minds of young enthusiastic school children as they visited ten pavilions, laid their hands on show dailies, and looked in awe at some of the weapons, vehicles, and electronic gadgets displayed at DefExpo 2016. They also ran outdoor to catch a glimpse of flypast by roaring fighter jets,  aerobatics by smaller aircraft and demonstration of firing by small weapons – all these happened for the first time in the ninth edition of the DefExpo which was inaugurated on March 28.

Even families from the North and South Goa took time out to visit the exhibition which was put up at Quitol near Betul in South Goa. Preparations on the ground started three months ago, fields were levelled, roads were constructed and huge airconditioned tents were put up to host the exhibition. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, a former Goa chief minister, was keen to bring the DefExpo to his home State though many international exhibitors were seen cribbing about lack of proper infrastructure for organising such an event at this scale. A land of mesmerising backwaters, serene beaches and world heritage monuments, Goa played host to DefExpo 2016 for the first time and will also host the prestigious BRICS summit in October this year.

Enthusiasm was also evident among organized groups from schools and colleges and visiting youth who were curious and showing keen interest in defence technology. Live demonstration of Sarang Aerobatic Display team of the Indian Air Force and India’s very own Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) , Main Battle Tanks Arjun Mark I and II, Wheeled Armoured Platform and display by Scandinavian Aerobatics Team enthralled the spectators. The DefExpo, with an underlined theme of ‘Make in India’, saw participation of  Â 1055 Indian and foreign companies, over 900 delegation visits. As many as 47 countries participated in the event.”

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