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Article128.png”” alt=””Article128″” />The fresh session of Parliament beginning on Monday after both Houses having been prorogued to enable the government to tackle the political and constitutional crisis in Uttarakhand is going to be stormy with the main Opposition Congress determined to put the NDA government on the mat. Though the Uttarakhand issue continues to be in the hands of the Court with the Supreme Court staying the decision of the state High Court quashing the imposition of President’s rule in the state, Opposition is going to go hammer and tongs at the Modi government. The session which is to be on till May 13 with 15 sittings has its plate full as the main agenda is to complete the financial business regarding the General Budget and the Railway Budget for the current financial year.

Clearly the mood of the opposition was made clear at the all party meeting the Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs Sumitra Mahajan had convened on Sunday where the Uttarakhand issue was raised Congress’ leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said after the meeting that the party MPs would move an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on it under Rule 56. But, this was countered by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy who said “”to my knowledge, the matter is before the court and when the issue is pending in court and a decision is yet to come, there is no scope for a discussion on it. The Speaker has to take a decision on it.”” Speaker Mahajan, too, appeared to share the government’s view.

Even though the government is keen on pushing through the GST Bill and several other important legislation being on the agenda, but, with the numbers stacked against the government in the Rajya Sabha, it is going to be tough going for the ruling NDA government. Though Speaker Mahajan said she hoped the resumed session would be a smooth affair, the mood of the opposition indicates otherwise specially the major opposition Congress which appears determined to take the government to task on the Uttarakhand issue undeterred by the fact that it has only 44 members in the Lok Sabha. Besides the Uttarakhand issue, there are several others which are expected to figure specially the ongoing severe water shortage in all the 91 major reservoirs with the storage in them in the country according to official figures standing at 22 per cent.

The ongoing crisis at NIT in Srinagar, the Pakistan stand on the visit of its team to India on Pathankot terrorist attack and various other issues. “”Drought across the country is a major issue and there was a demand by all for a discussion on it. All have extended their support. We all hope that the coming Lok Sabha session will function smoothly,”” she said. According to Rudy “”there was complete assurance from all the political parties that the House will run smoothly and the environment
looked very good. All have assured and there is a broad consensus that Lok Sabha should function smoothly and all parties have said this in one voice,” which will be known when both Houses meet tomorrow.”

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Article127.png”” alt=””Article127″” />Pointing to the wide gap in the people-judge ratio, Chief Justice of India Justice Tirath Singh Thakur, could not hide his tears and turned emotional in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while referring to the unprecedented pressure under which the judges in the country were working. The CJI said the government should raise the number of judges from the current 21,000 to 40,000. At the joint annual meeting between Chief Ministers and Chief Justices, Chief Justice Thakur said, “”It is for development of this country, that I beseech you to rise the occasion. You cannot shift the entire burden to the judiciary. There is a limit to judges’ capacity.””

The Prime Minister, who was not expected to speak at that point, assured the judiciary that his government was serious about addressing the issues. “”If a closed door and close team norms allow, I will definitely try to find a way out,”” he said, according to a NDTV report. An average Indian judge handles 2,600 cases in a year, compared to just 81 in the US, Chief Justice Thakur pointed out. The lower courts handle 2 crore cases a year – the discrepancy never fails to shock judges visiting from abroad, he said.

Justice Thakur said that since 1987, when the Law Commission had recommended increase in the number of judges from then 10 per 10 lakh people to 50 but “”nothing has moved””.

In his remarks made in Hindi, Prime Minister Modi said that he could understand the agony of the CJI Justice Thakur but added that there would have been reasons for things to remain same from 1987 to 2016. He said that he would not like to go into details but added “”Jab Jage Tabhi Savera”” (Morning is when you wake up). He said the challenge was how to reduce the past burden and at the same time move ahead.

The Prime Minister said that ample precautions should be taken while drafting, debating and making laws so that ambiguity and interpretation in the court would not arise and anybody taking a decision would not face the dilemma. “”We will have to move towards that kind of efficiency gradually,”” he said adding that the burden of all laws was too much for the common man. He said that his government had started the review of 1500 to 1700 such laws dating back to 1800 or 1850 and had become irrelevant. Such laws, Mr. Modi said, were being misused by those who did not want any work to be done.

Conceding that CJI Justice Thakur had pointed out several crucial aspects, the Prime Minister said that the issues could be sorted out by a few top government functionaries and a team of CJI in a closed door meeting. “”We will find ways to resolve these problems. I am not that kind of person who will go away after listening to these problems. I have taken them seriously and I will try and find some way out,”” Prime Minister Modi said.”

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Article135.png”” alt=””Article135″” />Several memories lay in a shambles as a massive blaze swept through the floors of the iconic National Museum of Natural History in the heart of India’s national Capital. If you grew up in Delhi, chances are you have at least one photo of yourself as a child posing in front of the giant dinosaur statue in the lawns of National Museum of Natural History. Now the dinosaur is perhaps the only stark remnant of the 38-year of institution gutted in a massive fire. The fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday in the museum located in FICCI building at Mandi House in Central Delhi, where some repair work was underway. The fire quickly spread to all other floors of the building and could be brought under control by the firefighters after a four-hour long battle. The museum had been conceptualised by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1972. Its collection included 160 million year old fossile bone of a Sauropod, ostrich bird egss, preserved butterflies, stuffed animal and birds, herpetological specimens and dioramas.

An Indian rhino have been a visible crowd puller at the museum especially for children during the summer vacation months. The nostalgia found echo in numerous tweets, blogs put out by many, who used to frequent the place during the 80s and 90s. “”It is indeed a tragic incident. Loss of collection is losing a vital piece of history. Natural history collections are invaluable piece of scientific knowledge. It just highlights the value of taking utmost care of such a treasure trove,”” Deepak Apte, Director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) said.

“”It is a matter of deep sorrow and anguish that a fire has gutted the entire museum of natural history. It used to be quite a popular among children. Even I frequented the place both as a father and as an environment minister, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted.”

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Article131.png”” alt=””Article131″” />The European region has managed to eliminated malaria, becoming the first region in the world to do so, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on the World Malaria Day observed on April 25. The number of indigenous malaria cases dropped from 90,712 in 1995 to zero in 2015 in 32 European region countries. The fete was achieved just a year after the World Health Assembly resolved to eliminate malaria from at least 35 countries by 2030. In 2015, all countries in the WHO European Region reported, for the first time, zero indigenous cases of malaria, down from 90 000 cases in 1995. Outside this region, 8 countries reported zero cases of the disease in 2014: Argentina, Costa Rica, Iraq, Morocco, Oman, Paraguay, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates.

Another 8 countries each tallied fewer than 100 indigenous malaria cases in 2014. And a further 12 countries reported between 100 and 1000 indigenous malaria cases in 2014. Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. There are five parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and two of these species, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, pose the greatest threat.

The “Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030”, approved by the World Health Assembly in 2015, calls for the elimination of local transmission of malaria in at least 10 countries by 2020. WHO estimates that 21 countries are in a position to achieve this goal, including 6 countries in the African Region, where the burden of the disease is heaviest.

“Our report shines a spotlight on countries that are well on their way to eliminating malaria,” said Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme. “WHO commends these countries while also highlighting the urgent need for greater investment in settings with high rates of malaria transmission, particularly in Africa. Saving lives must be our first priority.”

Since the year 2000, malaria mortality rates have declined by 60% globally. In the WHO African Region, malaria mortality rates fell by 66% among all age groups and by 71% among children under 5 years. The advances came through the use of core malaria control tools that have been widely deployed over the last decade: insecticide-treated bed-nets, indoor residual spraying, rapid diagnostic testing and artemisinin-based combination therapies. But reaching the next level—elimination—will not be easy. Nearly half of the world’s population, 3.2 billion people, remain at risk of malaria. Last year alone, 214 million new cases of the disease were reported in 95 countries and more than 400 000 people died of malaria.

The efficacy of the tools that secured the gains against malaria in the early years of this century is now threatened. Mosquito resistance to insecticides used in nets and indoor residual spraying is growing. So too is parasite resistance to a component of one of the most powerful antimalarial medicines. Further progress against malaria will likely require new tools that do not exist today, and the further refining of new technologies.

Last year, for the first time, the European Medicines Agency issued a positive scientific opinion on a malaria vaccine. In January 2016, WHO recommended large-scale pilot projects of the vaccine in several African countries, which could pave the way for wider deployment in the years ahead. Vigorous leadership by the governments of affected countries is key. Governments must strengthen surveillance of cases to identify gaps in coverage and be prepared to take action based on the information received. As countries approach elimination, the ability to detect every infection becomes increasingly important.

Reaching the goals of the “”Global Technical Strategy”” will require a steep increase in global and domestic funding—from $2.5 billion today to an estimated $8.7 billion annually by 2030, WHO said in a statement. Through robust financing and political will, affected countries can speed progress towards malaria elimination and contribute to the broader development agenda as laid out in the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.”

ONE of India’s favourite parlour games came to an end on June 18th wrote The Economist and predicted that a period of uncertainty beckons amid suspicions of political interference in India. The reputed British magazine was on the dot because Raghuram Rajan, the 23rd Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), during his three year-stint gave unprecedented stature to the job by cleaning up the banking system, bringing inflation under control (10.5% to 5.67%), stemming a sustained fall in the rupee and strengthening foreign exchange reserves (from $275bn to $363 bn) to help India deal with global shocks. If compared with what is happening in economies like Brazil, will make one understand the importance of what he has done in the past three years.

The big question is why Mr Narendra Modi decided to oust his well-regarded central banker?

Only a year back, on 80th Foundation Day celebrations of RBI, he had praised him saying that both Rajan and his government thought along similar lines. He acknowledged his dependence on Rajan to understand complex economic issues. Then why this sudden change?

The disillusionment with Rajan began soon after the BJP gained absolute power. Rajan, being a much sought-after person, was fearless and began to express opinions without caring for those in power. He commented on big political economy issues without consulting anyone. The political leadership was riled when in a 2014 speech at Mumbai, Rajan said: Of course, there are many politicians who are honest and genuinely want to improve the lot of their voters. But perhaps the system tolerates corruption because the street smart politician is better at making the wheels of the bureaucracy creak, however slowly, in favour of his constituents. Later his views on intolerance and PM’s Make in India mission further intensified political bitterness against him. The support from P. Chidambaram and Yashwant Sinha further intensified BJP opinion against him. Almost during the same period there were whispers that three to four Cabinet Ministers were quite critical about his piloting the RBI and not agreeing to reduce interest rates. The BJP had promised to reduce interest rates to improve growth. This was the first lobby that began to gather against him.

The second lobby against him was in the Finance Ministry because of a feeling that the position has been snatched from them. Since RBI was established, its Governor, invariably, has been a top bureaucrat from the Finance Ministry. Of the 23 Governors, 12 were from ICS, IAS, LIC and IAAS and six were Finance Secretaries. Only five, including Rajan, were professional bankers or economists. Of the five, two were only for one month, to keep the seat warm for the waiting bureaucrat to finish his assignment.    

Sharp disagreements began to develop more than a year back on implementing the recommendations of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC). Rajan, believing in the popular American belief don’t repair till broke, termed some of the suggestions as faddish and impressionistic. Relations further deteriorated early last year when the Government decided to transfer the management of public debt to another agency without consulting Rajan. However, some measures were withdrawn when Rajan protested. Differences intensified when the government decided to appoint Deputy Governors by a new committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Another cause of edgy relations was on the monetary policy framework agreement. The RBI, was given the responsibility of keeping inflation at four per cent (within a +/- two per cent band). It wanted a bigger role for the Governor and a larger representation for its representatives in the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) that would decide on crucial issues including policy rates. While the discussions were going on, some papers claimed that Rajan sought a Cabinet Minister rank for the RBI Governor and that of Minister of State for RBI’s Deputy Governors. The Government was against it and had declined ministerial status even to the top advisors in PMO like the National Security Advisor and the Principal Secretary.

The third lobby to become interested in the ouster of Rajan was that of industrialists. A nexus had developed over the past several decades between a syndicate of politicians-industrialists-bankers to siphon off depositors money. Huge loans were given to industrialists who never repaid it and were written off. Rajan initiated a process of cleaning up the bad loans of Rs 3,41,641 crore that upset India’s powerful and indebted industrialists.

The guv as he is popularly known in RBI is leaving and the Government’s credibility of retaining talented persons is falling. Nobel laureate Amartya Sen rightly told a TV channel that India is losing one of the most skilful financial economic thinkers in the world. It is sad for the country and it is sad for the government of the country too.Though India will move on, as it has during the worst of crises, Rajan will be remembered for a long time to come because he took charge of RBI when the economy was battling a currency crisis. He dextrously stabilised the economy, restored the RBI’s credibility and carried out a structural revolution in monetary policy in just three years.

What was to happen had happened and cannot be undone. But the government should handle the exit of global icons like Rajan in a more courteous way. Persons not acceptable to the Government have been asked to go in the past but with a certain amount of grace. Here the foul-mouth-method has been used. More worrying would be if a newcomer were appointed to reduce interest rates at the cost of higher inflation or becomes soft on banking reforms. Most dangerous thing is that hounding wolves have tested blood and more may be targeted in the coming months. Nominated-MP, Subramanian Swamy, has declared that his next project is to expose 27 bureaucrats who are in various Ministries and loyal to Sonia Gandhi.

(Author Dr. Halan, a commentator on politico-economic affairs, is the former Resident Editor of Financial Express and past Member of Press Council of India)

On this day, two years ago Narendra Damodardas Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a decisive mandate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on its own. It was for the first time in the past three decades that a political party had won such a massive victory, signaling an end of coalition era at the Centre.

As the Modi government steps in the third year, its performance on key parameters such as economy, infrastructure, social sector, foreign policy, national security is naturally being assessed. A number of surveys have given a thumbs up to the Modi government which assumed office at the end of Congress-led UPA government’s term that had come to be identified with policy paralysis, scams and corruption. The promise of “Acche Din” (Good Times) for the people injected a new hope and fuelled high expectations towards which the Modi government will have to work tirelessly in the remaining part of its term.

If Mr. Modi has been able to revive and given a much-needed thrust to India’s foreign policy and put the country on a strong footing in the comity of nations in all international fora, he will now have to tighten the screw on implementation of the government’s schemes and programmes on the domestic front, taking States along in delivering the Centre’s schemes so that all citizens benefit from them. The initial period of catchy slogans and theme-songs is getting over and the people will start judging how programmes like Make in India, Digital India, Clean India, Skill India, Start up India are performing.

In an interview to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi countered the criticism of his government having failed to initiate “”Big Bang”” economic reforms, by asserting that he has actually undertaken the maximum reforms. But, he added: “”I have an enormous task ahead for myself.”” He said that the government has opened up more of the economy to foreign investments and made changes to curb corruption, fill gaps in rural infrastructure and make it easier to do business. “”Today, unlike before, India is not standing in a corner,”” Mr. Modi said.

His senior Cabinet colleagues took to the social media and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who holds the key to implement measures that will ensure a steady and good economic growth of India, said decision-making has been accelerated and Indian economy has gained credibility. Mr. Jaitley said that Indian economy was the fastest growing in the world. If financial inclusion by launching Jan Dhan bank account scheme has scored high with nearly 22 crore bank accounts, it is the job sector which has remained lacklustre as well as rising prices of essential commodities which still remains an area of concern. On the brighter side, the matters of governance like auction of coal blocks, spectrum and FM radio were handled well with care, growth has remained just above 7% and India’s foreign exchange reserves have touched an all-time high figure of 360 billion US dollars. The Modi government has preferred to continue the schemes of the previous government like Aadhar card, and guaranteed rural employment scheme. It has liberalized FDI rules but the country’s position on the scale of ease of doing business globally has only improved marginally.

On social front, the Modi government has attracted criticism for choking dissent, handling prestigious educational institutions in a flip-flop manner and doing precious little to inspire the confidence of minorities. It is only the slogan “”Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” under which the BJP leaders and ministers taken refuge rather than emphatically coming out with their plans and welfare measures to take the minorities along and making them a stakeholder in the governance and development of the country.

If the BJP has relied heavily and solely on the communication skills and oratory of Mr. Modi, it is now in the third year that the Brand Modi needs to be further consolidated and Team India takes it upon itself to take the implementation and delivery to the last mile. It will be for Mr. Modi to keep the fringe elements in his party in check and ensure that his rebooting the governance model and brave attempts to overhaul the system yield desired results. Communal and social harmony, internal security and employment generation are other areas where the Modi government would have to toil harder. If citizens have endorsed Brand Modi and seen India rise and being heard on global platform, they would look forward to seeing the government meet their expectations. Mr. Modi knows the enormity of the situation and, hopefully, move the government machinery in top gear so that it embarks on an action-oriented, mission mode journey over the next three years. He will also have to axe the non-performers, rabble rousers and fringe elements.

BANGALORE: The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fits with the needs of the Indian Navy and the U.S. Defence major is keen to go through the route of “Make in India” for building a world-class industrial facility which can produce aircraft like Super Hornet.

Addressing media persons at the Aero India 2017 here, Thom Breckenridge, Vice President, Global Sales” India, Boeing Defence, Space & Security, said that Super Hornet, being offered to Indian Navy, was introduced in 2007 and has a long life span. “”We have given 700 deliveries and to countries other than the U.S. as well. In terms of maintainability and cost it is the lowest and very affordable,”” he added.

The twin-engined plane is capable of meeting all needs of the Indian Navy and the Boeing Company is uniquely placed through its presence in India and Make in India initiative to go ahead with the plan to produce Super Hornet, the Boeing official said without going into specifics about ongoing negotiations with the Indian Navy. Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet is the world’s pre-eminent carrier-capable multirole aircraft. It is a combat proven, supersonic fighter jet with a defined U.S. Navy flight plan to outpace threats into the 2040’s.

The Indian Navy last month issued a request for information (RFI) to global makers seeking a 57 ‘Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters’ (MRCBFs) to augment its operational capability. Navy has already ordered 45 of the twin-engined MiG 29-K from Russia, some of which have arrived and inducted. The need for additional 57 aircraft came at a time when the naval variant of the Light Combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas could have met the requirement of the Navy.

“”Boeing is prepared to bring its global scale and supply chain, its best-in-industry precision manufacturing processes, as well as the company’s experience designing and optimizing aerospace production facilities to bear in expanding India’s aerospace ecosystem and helping to realize the Make in India vision,”” Breckenridge said.  

Super Hornet is the most advanced aircraft of its kind in operation today with designed-in stealth, an AESA radar and more highly integrated mission systems than any other aircraft. It is a modern fighter that can match and tackle tomorrow’s threats. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a supersonic, all weather multirole fighter jet that is capable of landing and taking off from an aircraft carrier. Mr. Breckenridge said that Boeing would continue its dialogue with the Indian Navy and the advanced versions of Super Hornet with enhanced engine performance could prove to be the aircraft which the Navy asked for.

As the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday and teams of DRDO and HAL rejoiced, there were scientists and allied workers CSIR’s National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in Bengaluru celebrating the success as they had developed fly-by-wire technology and light weight composites for the 4th generation modern fighter. 

It was CSIR-NAL which had designed, developed and certified the fly-by-wire flight control laws and algorithms for Tejas. The lab had also developed and fabricated the composite structures for the LCA Tejas, using innovative technology to keep the weight low while retaining the strength. 

It goes to the credit of the CSIR-NAL that the flight test programme for Tejas has today successfully completed a total of over 2400 flights, carried out on 14 different prototypes by 17 test pilots over a continuously expanding flight envelope meeting all the requirements.

Among the little known fact is that the National Control Law (CLAW) team had implemented the autopilot modes, simulation and modeling, including wake encounter simulation and advanced parameter identification techniques for flight validation/update of the aerodynamic database leading to safe flight envelope expansion for LCA air force variants.  Another notable contribution by the CSIR-NAL has been the development of aircraft 6-degree-of-freedom simulation technology which is a key requirement for Control Law development. 

The composite wing development for Tejas was also undertaken by the CSIR-NAL which has pioneered the development and fabrication of composite structures for the fighter, using innovative and cost-effective fabrication technologies including co-curing and co-bonding construction.

The technology developed at CSIR-NAL not only reduces the cost but also improves the structural efficiency of the aircraft by minimising the number of mechanical joints. With this innovation, composite aircraft structures have become cost effective and structurally far superior to conventional aircraft structures. It may be noted that Tejas airframe is 45 per cent composites (mostly carbon-epoxy) by weight contributing to its reputation as the world’s smallest light weight fighter aircraft.  Composites offer a very attractive option in modern aircraft development because they are lighter than metal and just as strong.

LCA has accomplished about 3200 flights, testifying the point that it is a reliable aircraft and that the LCA programme is now racing smoothly.

Action for induction of Tejas into IAF has been initiated. As of now, IAF had placed an order in 2006 for a total of 40 Tejas aircraft. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Mahohar Parrikar have lauded the indigenous development of LCA Tejas. 

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DG ADA Dr. S Christopher, said that LCA Programme has been unique in bringing together stakeholders and partners within and outside the country. HAL has been the Principal Partner, with participation and support of IAF, IN, DRDO, CSIR, CEMILAC, DGAQA, PSUs, academic institutions, private establishments, etc.”

Airbus Defence & Space, Europe’s top defence and space enterprise, sees Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” programme as a long-term “vision” which will yield fruits in years to come. “This rule is fixed by the Prime Minister. We have to set up a factory from the scratch and establish supply chain and we will have to import equipment for it which will destroy the cost,” said Jean Pierre Talamoni, Head of Sales and Marketing, while addressing visiting journalists near Munich.

He said that “”Make in India”” was a good idea and a long-term vision but the supply chain and related infrastructure will take a few years to come by in a gradual manner. “”If we build something together and share technology, we should also be ready to share profits. India is biggest importer of arms in the world and its requirements are also varied,”” Mr. Talamoni said. Airbus Defence & Space is also stressing upon  several key drivers to bolster its future growth. These key drivers are innovation, integration, connectivity, digital technology and marketing.

Talking to journalists from across the world, Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence & Space, said: “We have to become more agile and faster so that we can increase the speed of our business. We are also learning to integrate new ideas and use new technology to make our business grow in future.” Mr. Hoke said the group was also looking at its traditional business of aerospace and military aircraft to speed up the growth. The European giant had generated revenues worth over 13 billion Euros in 2015.

The Airbus Defence & Space CEO said that European nations, including Germany, were looking at increasing their defence budgets which would offer more opportunities for the growth in business. In a similar vein, Mr. Talamoni said the group was focusing on Customer, Services and Innovation (CSI). “The world is going fast, we have to follow the speed. After all Apple, Blackberry and Orange were only fruits 20 years ago,” he quipped.

He said the defence sector growth in Europe was pegged at about two per cent annually but it was estimated to grow at six per cent in Asia-Pacific region. “Two-third of new military aircraft opportunities are in Asia and Mid-East region. In the next 10 years 150 heavy lift, 85 tankers and 750 combat aircraft would be required and half of the requirement would be in Asia,” he predicted. Mr. Talamoni said that competition was becoming global and the Airbus group would be looking at diversifying its customer base and ensuring shorter delivery time.

He said that best selling military aircraft of Airbus like A-330 multi-role tanker transport, A400 M heavy lift aircraft, C-295 medium transport aircraft have won wide wide acceptance from a number of nations and were doing well in the global market. “However, our effort to improve upon technology, introduce innovations are continuing on all assembly lines,” he added.

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Article130.png”” alt=””Article130″” />Islamic State (IS) which has already overtaken Al-Qaeda is currently the most treacherous, wealthiest and better organized terrorist organization in the international arena. While the continuous bombarding in the IS-controlled region may have weakened the terrorist outfit, but the resolve of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his cohorts of retribution has not lessened and the danger of carrying out terrorist activities in Europe has enhanced manifold. Analysts mention that future attacks will be more sophisticated and devastating.

The US-led ‘Operation Inherent Resolve’, as well as restrictions on international funding to IS, has had adverse impact on its recruitment drive as now it is not spending lavishly on its cadres. According to an estimate, the United States and other countries made more than 10,000 air raids in the IS-controlled areas in which more than 20,000 IS supporters were exterminated and the outfit lost 35% of its territory.

IS earns money through prowling, extortion, donations and by selling petroleum products from the occupied oil fields. According to a rough estimate, in the past, IS was earning more than 1.8 million Pounds (app. 2.59 million USD) from the captured oil fields every day, but now the oil prices are considerably low and the combined forces have recaptured few oil fields from IS. Hence, its revenue is reduced to an alarmingly low level.

There are also reports that because of air strikes, financial restrictions imposed by several countries the financial condition of the outfit has deteriorated considerably and the organization is compelled to sell the important body organs of prisoners as well as injured cadres of IS. Nonetheless, the fanatics are still joining the outfit from several parts of the world and IS can target some places in Europe to prove their strength and viability. The bomb blasts in Paris and Brussels have proved the capability of the outfit in carrying out terrorist attacks in Europe and other places.

The IS is sending its cadres to Europe as refugees through migrant boats. As very large numbers of refugees are entering Europe from disturbed areas, it is very difficult for security agencies to verify the antecedents of all those who are landing on their shores. IS has emerged as a fulcrum of terrorism against Europe and America, hence several independent terror outfits as well as alienated people of the society have joined the outfit to settle their real or imaginary grievances.

IS which has an efficient, secret and protected communication system has also cultivated sleeper cells as well as support agents in Europe and these support agents would assist the action agents in carrying out terrorist activities. The European Union (EU) should constitute a joint task force to deal with the threat of IS. The task force would be more effectual and can mobilize resources early, as a single entity it can take and implement decisions more effectively. It can overcome the language barrier and can utilize intelligence more efficiently. The task force can be financed by EU and its object should be to check the terrorist activities of IS and eradicate its influence from Europe.

The European counties should emphasize on their citizens that IS is losing ground and who so ever will go to join the terrorist outfit will be exterminated in air strikes or will be slaughtered by IS under the pretext of spy. The condition of Muslims in Europe is pitiable and they are treated as second-class citizens. The European countries must realize that alienation, poverty and racial discrimination generate extremism and the younger people are inclined to join the terror outfits. Hence, on the one hand, where the government should try to curb the discrimination, on the other hand, there should be stringent punishment for engendering hatred in the society.

The IS is utilizing social media and internet to lure young people in the west to join the terrorist outfit by sending-out impressive messages as well as combat lessons on the internet. Hence, the intelligence agencies of these countries should also employ high-quality professionals to counter IS propaganda in social sights; the data analysts should recover details about the finance and should try to collect intelligence through technical means.

Several thousand jihadists who will return from Syria and Iraq once the IS is (hopefully) decimated would be a great danger to Europe as they are trained terrorists and may use Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) to carry out terrorist activities. The security agencies should formulate a plan to handle the extremists returning from Syria and Iraq and should also start counter-radicalization and de-radicalization campaign.

The general masses, especially Muslims, should be educated about the rising danger of Islamic terrorism and safeguard the youths from becoming the prey of malicious propaganda about the establishment of Islamic Caliphate in any part of the world.

The government should involve colleges, student organizations, NGOs and politicians to counter the threat of spread of radical ideology before it subvert the democratic institutions, social fabric and rule of law. There are reports that various imams are distributing extremist literature to Muslim prisoners as well as to select persons in mosques. These imams are also collecting funds to assist terrorists. The government should take stringent measures to punish such imams or other religious fanatics.

The obliteration of IS is not enough. There is a danger that after the annihilation of IS, there would be small Islamic terrorist groups that would emerge and that these leaderless factions would get involved in reckless killings just to demonstrate their strength and influence. In fact, there is a need of eradication of all Islamic terrorist outfits and this is feasible only if various countries assisting these terror organisations stop being so munificent towards such thugs for meeting their short-term, petty ambitions. While a few (known) countries are rendering financial assistance, Pakistan and military-controlled Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) is giving arms, ammunition, training and financial assistance to several terrorist organizations. The United States as well as European countries must prevent countries and organizations to render assistance to terrorists.

The US decision of deputing additional troops and 8 Apache attack helicopters against IS to recapture Mosul town is important as retake of second most important city by Iraqi troops would be a great jolt to the terrorist outfit.

(Jai Kumar Verma is a Delhi-based strategic analyst.)

(This article first appeared in South Asia Monitor on April 24, 2016. It is being reproduced here with the permission of the author)“