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With possible removal from office hanging over their heads, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House to announce a peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The 180-page document named Peace to Prosperity seeks to promote and improve 'Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli people.' After months of negotiations, mostly with Israeli officials and some Arab leaders, President Trump's point person for the Middle East, Jared Kushner largely ignored the Palestinians, the supposed beneficiary of the plan. President Trump called it a 'realistic peace plan' and last opportunity for the Palestinians. Mr. Netanyahu described the plan as 'historic'. It recognises ‘the Palestinians’ legitimate desire for self-determination’; however, Jerusalem 'will remain Israel's undivided capital' and the Palestinians would establish their capital in al-Quds in east Jerusalem or any other city; The ‘conceptual ma

India’s premier think-tank, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi held the 12th South Asia Conference on “India’s Neighbourhood First Policy: Regional Perceptions”. The conference brought together policy makers, academics and experts from the South Asian region and Myanmar to debate on what India’s neighbourhood first policy means to these countries. Around 25 papers were presented in the two days conference. Apart from foreign participants, 9 Indian participants shared their views on India’s neighbourhood first policy. In his inaugural address, the Defence Minister Mr. Raj Nath Singh who is also the President of IDSA emphasised that time has come for the region to rise above their individual national identity and think as South Asians, as a way forward. Mr. V. Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs emphasised on the various aspects of India’s neighbourhood policy. In 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath of office, his thrust was

India has set its goal to become a US $5 trillion economy in the near future. This roadmap stands on the twin pillars of building a strong climate of domestic trade and investment on one hand, and forging robust links with the global economy on the other. To achieve this target, India has undertaken a slew of reforms such as bringing in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). To promote her goals, India has been looking to push its market interests and build upon complementarities with its trading partners to be a part of the global value chains. To enable constructive and mutually beneficial economic ties, India had decided to open up regional trade and bilateral economic negotiations-including a couple of stalled ones -with countries around the globe. These engagements dispel notions that India shall pursue strategies which are inward looking, closed door and protectionist in nature, post Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pull

My dear countrymen, Namaskar. Today is the 26th of January. Heartiest greetings to you on the Festival of our Republic. This is our first meeting of minds in the year 2020, through ‘Mann Ki Baat’. This is the first such programme of the year; nay, of the decade. Friends, this time, it came across as appropriate to change the broadcast time of Mann Ki Baat, on account of the Republic Day Celebrations. And that is why I am reaching out to you this evening through Mann Ki Baat, having thought of a separate time slot. Friends, every day is a new day; weeks and months keep seeing change; years witness transformation, except for the enthusiasm and fervor of the people of India! And, of course, we are no less… we are certain to outdo ourselves. The spirit of ‘can do’, is emerging as a new resolve. The sentiment of contributing positively to the country & society is gaining strength, day by day. Friends, we have come together, once again, on the dais of Mann Ki Baat. This is to discuss ne

The Start-Up India scheme deservedly had the place of pride in the 71st Republic Day parade. Having created over 300,000 jobs in a short span of time; over 26,000 Start-Ups are dotting length and breadth of India. The benign eco-system nurtured by the government has indeed sent the Start-Ups on a high investment path. The valuation of the Start-Ups in India collectively is now pegged at over $35 billion. Today, graduates emerging out of India’s premier technical and management institutions prefer Start-Ups as their career option undeniably tell the success story of the entrepreneurial talent in the country. The Start-Up tableaux in the Republic Day parade was, thus, the prized attraction for the onlookers. The tableaux also excelled in creativity, for it vividly depicted the Start-Ups eco-system creatively. The vibrant eco-system through tax concessions and access to capital nurturing Start-Ups to become large corporations like trees was vividly depicted. The Start-Up India scheme is

Dear fellow citizens, On the eve of our 71st Republic Day, I extend my warm greetings to all of you, in India and abroad. Seven decades ago, on 26th January, our Constitution came into effect. Even before that, this date had acquired special significance. Having resolved to attain ‘Purna Swaraj’, our people had been celebrating ‘Purna Swaraj Day’ on every 26th January from 1930 to 1947. That is why, in 1950 we embarked our journey as a Republic on the 26th January, affirming to the principles laid down in our Constitution. Since then, every year we celebrate our Republic Day on 26th January. The modern State comprises the three organs – Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, which are necessarily interlinked and interdependent. Yet, on ground, the people comprise the State. ‘We the People’ are the prime movers of the Republic. With us, the people of India rests the real power to decide our collective future. Our Constitution gave us rights as citizens of a free democratic nation, but a

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan made a much publicised visit to Davos for the World Economic Forum 2020 meet. At the Swiss Ski-resort, he also met with US President Donald Trump. As is his wont, Mr. Khan once again raised the issue of Kashmir and his by now familiar anti-India rhetoric. He also used the very same platform to say that, “whenever we will have better relations with India, the world will see how strong we are strategically”. He said, there is “no terrorism in Pakistan” Nothing can be far from the truth. In reality, terrorist groups are enjoying official patronage of the Pakistani establishment. Terrorist networks are flourishing in that country. As the next meet of the Financial Action task Force (FATF), the Paris based global anti-terror financing watchdog is to take a call on Pakistan’s “listing”; the Pakistan government, it appears, has asked the terror organisations active in its territory to lie low for the moment. India’s Ministry of External Affairs in a st

Dear fellow citizens, On the eve of our 71st Republic Day, I extend my warm greetings to all of you, in India and abroad. Seven decades ago, on 26th January, our Constitution came into effect. Even before that, this date had acquired special significance. Having resolved to attain ‘Purna Swaraj’, our people had been celebrating ‘Purna Swaraj Day’ on every 26th January from 1930 to 1947. That is why, in 1950 we embarked our journey as a Republic on the 26th January, affirming to the principles laid down in our Constitution. Since then, every year we celebrate our Republic Day on 26th January. The modern State comprises the three organs – Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, which are necessarily interlinked and interdependent. Yet, on ground, the people comprise the State. ‘We the People’ are the prime movers of the Republic. With us, the people of India rests the real power to decide our collective future. Our Constitution gave us rights as citizens of a free democra

India and Brazil are the two whales in the global ocean. Besides China, only India and Brazil are the likeliest candidates to rise as great powers who have the potential to become superpowers. But till not long ago, if India was known for the Hindu rate of growth and its chronic poverty, Brazil was synonymous with hyper-inflation and debt bomb. If, in spite of democracy, India to the West remained a land of snake charmers and mystic sadhus, Brazil was dismissed by France’s Charles de Gaulle as “not a serious country”. He said “Brazil is the country of tomorrow and always be.” Today, both India and Brazil have moved from being balancing powers to leading global players. Over the past one decade or so their foreign policy stances have been adapted to variable geometry of international relations through active engagements with diverse bilateral and multilateral forums. Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro’s 4-day visit to India as Chief Guest on India’s 71st Republic Day celeb

When it was enacted at the end of three laborious years of drafting by the Constituent Assembly, few analysts were prepared to confidently forecast that the Indian Constitution thus produced would have a long life. It is a tribute to the wisdom and foresight of the Founding Fathers that what they created continues to remain the rock on which is built India’s parliamentary democracy. The Indian Constitution has been the beacon of light to both lawmakers and the common citizens. In over seven decades, its basic structure has remained intact. Despite the numerous amendments that it has undergone, the principles enunciated in the Preamble continue to inspire faith in it. “We, the people of India,“ is how the preamble begins, before proclaiming to the world the birth of a sovereign, secular and democratic republic wedded to the principles of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. It has become not only a legal document detailing the structure and organs of the state, but a veritab

In an attempt to focus more on the African nations and developing closer diplomatic and economic relations with them, the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, visited Niger and Tunisia earlier this week. New Delhi attaches great importance to these African nations since they had helped India in the United Nations as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. That it was his first outreach to Africa since taking over the mantle of foreign ministry proves just that. During his visit to Niamey, Niger, Dr. Jaishankar called on the Niger President, Mr Mahamadou Issoufou. Both the leaders jointly inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre. It is the first centre to be established in Africa by India to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi whose 150th birth anniversary is being observed currently. The establishment of the centre is a landmark for India-Niger friendship, as also a symbol of India’s firm commitment towards Africa. The centre has

In the aftermath of the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by the US and ensuing series of events, the latest situation is that Iranian has threatened that it may walk away from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if the European Union referred the Iranian nuclear issue to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). This is a major implication after the killing of General Soleimani which overshadows all others, as its repercussions could be far reaching and highly detrimental for the region as well as for the global non-proliferation regime. The threat of withdrawing from NPT comes close on the heels of reported decision of the Iranian government that it would no longer adhere to the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), popularly known as the Iran nuclear agreement.  Iran’s call for withdrawal from the NPT is in reaction to the triggering of the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM), a clause enshrined in the nuclear agreement, by the group of t

India has gained by 16 per cent in terms of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow, from $42 billion to $49 billion in 2019, holding its position amongst top 10 FDI inflow-host countries. The recent report titled “Investment Trend Monitor" by UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) stated. The report states that, this surge in India is when the global foreign direct investment remained flat in 2019, at $1.39 trillion, a decline of 1% from $1.41 trillion. India tops in FDI, when both the United States and China saw a flat FDI with zero-growth of capital in-flows.  The South Asian region recorded a 10% increase in FDI to $60 billion, with India holding more than 80% of it. The majority went to services industries, including information technology. Our neighbours, Bangladesh and Pakistan faced a decline in FDI of 6% and 20%, respectively, to $3.4 billion and $1.9 billion.  The political upheaval across the globe had an evident impact on the flow of FDI

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles was recently on a visit to India where he participated in the Raisina Dialogue, 2020. Reiterating the commonalities between India and the European Union (EU), Mr. Fontelles conveyed the need for both parties to defend a rules-based multilateral order at a time when the blockade of WTO’s settlement dispute mechanism has become a cause of concern for Europe, India as well as many Southeast Asian countries. In this regard, the High Representative informed that the EU has made proposals to break this deadlock. It is in strong interests of both parties to solve this issue and come up with practical solutions. Strengthening maritime security has become an utmost concern when the global community is threatened by several challenges like piracy and preservation and maintenance of marine resources. Hence, working together is imperative for maintaining maritime security and stability.