India at the threshold of big opportunity
[New Delhi, 20 December,2008] Young India in an aging world today stands at the doorway of a huge opportunity. This was the message delivered at the concluding session of the four-day Ideas India 2008 conference hosted by Aspen Institute India here today. The conference examined, evaluated and analyzed some of India's biggest challenges and opportunities.
Speaking at the session, Mr Nandan Nilekani, Executive Co-Chairman, Infosys Technologies, named the first of the big opportunities as the 'demographic dividend', which is that for the next 30 years the largest percentage of population in India will be of youth. But if we are not able to use this opportunity, the energy, discontent and anger of the youth can also turn it into a disaster.
The second resource we have is human capital. "A few decades back we used to think of people as burden, but now we think of them as capital", Mr Nilekani said. Other four resources that we already have are diverse entrepreneurship, technology, democracy and English language, which has today transformed from the language of the elite to the language of aspiration.
Taking a leaf out of his own latest book - Imaging India: Ideas for the New Century - Mr Nilakani said there are some areas on which we as a nation have complete agreement. Urbanization is no longer a dirty word. We are sure that we need primary education, infrastructure, and a single market.
There are certain things which we must do. The first is that we must use technology for improving governance and transparency. We have to evolve a new health model which revolves around wellness rather than cure for diseases, a pension or a social security scheme, clean environment and a new energy model. The energy model should not be based on the hydrocarbons. We should be able to show more economic growth with less emission of greenhouse gases.
For health, Mr Nilekani suggested a hub-and-spoke model for health, making full use of technology. He said, it is not feasible to have a full functioning hospital in every place.
Mr Gautam Thapar, Vice Chairman, Aspen Institute India; Chairman, Avantha Group, blamed the old labour laws for employment not keeping pace with economic growth. He said that as long as the labour laws remain the same the industry will prefer to use technology and machines rather than employ people.
Mr Jamshyd Godrej, Chairman, Aspen Institute India; Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd, thanked the participants and assured them the Institute will take the initiative in implementing the ideas generated during this conference.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sikkim Ranks High on Environmental Sustainability Index
“North Eastern States have been able to sustain population pressure and environmental stress”
Gangtok, Dec 21 : Sikkim’s green initiatives have started to bear fruits and how. The State has bagged the second spot in the country’s environmental sustainability index (ESI).
The best performing state in the 2008 ranking is Manipur, followed by Sikkim and Tripura with the lowest ranking states are Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana based on study of parameters like population pressure, stress on environment, environment systems, health vulnerability and environment governance.
The index has been prepared by the Centre for Development Finance (CDF) of the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) based on the environmental performance of states in the country. The ESI shows that the state is at 22nd place in a list that ranks the ability of 28 states to protect their environment in the coming years.
At the launch function held in Chennai yesterday, CDF release the report for 28 states in the country.
The awards for Sikkim and Manipur mean that the North Eastern States have been able to sustain population pressure and environmental stress.
During the launch function, Sikkim’s environment and forest department representative Pradeep Kumar highlighted how the government’s laws like those relating to the ban on plastics, use of chemicals in farming and environment cess, had helped in conservation and bring in more money for forestry.
Chattisgarh member secretary of environment P V Narasigham Rao said the state was setting an example by finely balancing between industrialisation and ecology by strict monitoring. Meghalaya forest commissioner C D Kynjing said the Centre should create a “green fund” for north-eastern states for increasing forest cover.
Award for green states was given to five select states, who had performed well on various aspects of environmental sustainability, viz., Himachal Pradesh (government’s initiative), Manipur (people’s initiative), Chattishgarh (least polluted water), Sikkim (conservation of natural resources) and Meghalaya (air quality).
“ESI is an attempt to create a baseline of state’s relative position in a sustainable trajectory. It has a strong policy focus and is designed to advocate analytical and empirical foundation for environmental policy making,” said Jessica Wallack, director, CDF.
Studying 44 variables clustered into 15 indicators under five policy components to arrive at the ESI, the study reveals that none of the state is on a sustainable trajectory. At the same time, none of the states have performed very poor in all dimensions. Most states have done well in some areas and need to improve a lot in many other issues, the report says.
Sikkim Express
Gangtok, Dec 21 : Sikkim’s green initiatives have started to bear fruits and how. The State has bagged the second spot in the country’s environmental sustainability index (ESI).
The best performing state in the 2008 ranking is Manipur, followed by Sikkim and Tripura with the lowest ranking states are Punjab, Gujarat and Haryana based on study of parameters like population pressure, stress on environment, environment systems, health vulnerability and environment governance.
The index has been prepared by the Centre for Development Finance (CDF) of the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) based on the environmental performance of states in the country. The ESI shows that the state is at 22nd place in a list that ranks the ability of 28 states to protect their environment in the coming years.
At the launch function held in Chennai yesterday, CDF release the report for 28 states in the country.
The awards for Sikkim and Manipur mean that the North Eastern States have been able to sustain population pressure and environmental stress.
During the launch function, Sikkim’s environment and forest department representative Pradeep Kumar highlighted how the government’s laws like those relating to the ban on plastics, use of chemicals in farming and environment cess, had helped in conservation and bring in more money for forestry.
Chattisgarh member secretary of environment P V Narasigham Rao said the state was setting an example by finely balancing between industrialisation and ecology by strict monitoring. Meghalaya forest commissioner C D Kynjing said the Centre should create a “green fund” for north-eastern states for increasing forest cover.
Award for green states was given to five select states, who had performed well on various aspects of environmental sustainability, viz., Himachal Pradesh (government’s initiative), Manipur (people’s initiative), Chattishgarh (least polluted water), Sikkim (conservation of natural resources) and Meghalaya (air quality).
“ESI is an attempt to create a baseline of state’s relative position in a sustainable trajectory. It has a strong policy focus and is designed to advocate analytical and empirical foundation for environmental policy making,” said Jessica Wallack, director, CDF.
Studying 44 variables clustered into 15 indicators under five policy components to arrive at the ESI, the study reveals that none of the state is on a sustainable trajectory. At the same time, none of the states have performed very poor in all dimensions. Most states have done well in some areas and need to improve a lot in many other issues, the report says.
Sikkim Express
WAR CLOUDS HOVER ALONG INDO PAK
NEW DELHI, DEC 20
A high-level assessment of the security scenario in the light of Indo-Pak tensions was undertaken at a marathon meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Defence Ministry here tonight.
Three senior-most Ministers, Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony and P Chidambaram, besides National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, three services chiefs and intelligence chiefs attended in the meeting, which lasted around four hours. There was no media briefing on it.
Meanwhile, the army is understood to have cancelled leave to its personnel till April.
Singh drove from his residence to the South Block housing the Defence Ministry for the crucial meeting.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of a new low in ties with Pakistan, which is not seen as actively cooperating with India in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks trained from their soil.
Meanwhile, the international intelligence community believes that India will likely attack PoK or elsewhere in Pakistan to settle scores for the multiple November 26 Mumbai attacks.
Mukherjee’s statement, on Friday, at an international conference in Gangtok, Sikkim appears to have lent credence to this suspicion of the global intelligence community.
At the conference Mukherjee said, “If a country cannot keep the assurances that it has given, then it obliges us to consider the entire range of options that exist to protect our interests and people from this menace.”
The suspicion of an Indian attack on Pakistan was raised by Stratfor, a US based private intelligence service provider.
In its latest intelligence forecast, Stratfor said, “Indian military operations against targets in Pakistan have in fact been prepared and await the signal to go forward.”
Stratfor said, unlike the massive troop mobilisation after the Parliament attack in 2002, this time, India’s war preparations are clouded in secrecy and so are invisible.
A high-level assessment of the security scenario in the light of Indo-Pak tensions was undertaken at a marathon meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Defence Ministry here tonight.
Three senior-most Ministers, Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony and P Chidambaram, besides National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, three services chiefs and intelligence chiefs attended in the meeting, which lasted around four hours. There was no media briefing on it.
Meanwhile, the army is understood to have cancelled leave to its personnel till April.
Singh drove from his residence to the South Block housing the Defence Ministry for the crucial meeting.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of a new low in ties with Pakistan, which is not seen as actively cooperating with India in bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks trained from their soil.
Meanwhile, the international intelligence community believes that India will likely attack PoK or elsewhere in Pakistan to settle scores for the multiple November 26 Mumbai attacks.
Mukherjee’s statement, on Friday, at an international conference in Gangtok, Sikkim appears to have lent credence to this suspicion of the global intelligence community.
At the conference Mukherjee said, “If a country cannot keep the assurances that it has given, then it obliges us to consider the entire range of options that exist to protect our interests and people from this menace.”
The suspicion of an Indian attack on Pakistan was raised by Stratfor, a US based private intelligence service provider.
In its latest intelligence forecast, Stratfor said, “Indian military operations against targets in Pakistan have in fact been prepared and await the signal to go forward.”
Stratfor said, unlike the massive troop mobilisation after the Parliament attack in 2002, this time, India’s war preparations are clouded in secrecy and so are invisible.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
POWERFUL PERSONALITIES OF 2008- NEWSWEEK
New York, 20 DEC 2008.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan have been ranked among the 50 most powerful people in the world by the prestigious US-based magazine 'Newsweek' magazine in a list topped by President- elect Barack Obama.
Pakistan army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who controls the country's nuclear weapons, is placed 20th on the list of the global "power elite" at the beginning of 2009 in the magazine's January issue.
Obama, who scripted history by becoming the first black-American to be voted to the White House, is followed by Chinese President Hu Jintao, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Markel and powerful Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
A surprise inclusion in the list, which the magazine admits is subjective, is Osama bin Laden, whom the Newsweek describes as "global terrorist." North Korean dictator Jim Jong II also finds a place in the list.
Placing Sonia Gandhi at 17th spot, the magazine says though Indian political scene is riven by factions, Congress remains the strongest national force and rules unchallenged.
"In the world's largest democracy, she is the queen." The magazine describes Shahrukh Khan, who occupies 41st spot, as the 'King of Bollywood'.
On Kayani, it says, that in theory this mumbling chain-smoking Pakistan army chief answers to President Asif Ali Zardari. But Kayani and his troops remain the dominant power in what could be the most dangerous country in the world, it adds.
About 47-year-old Obama, it says the presidency of the "intensely charismatic" Democrat, who will be inaugurated on January 20, will be judged on how he handles the economic crisis that now envelops the US and the world. "For Obama to be remembered as a great President, he has to do nothing less than rescue capitalism."
For bin Laden, who finds 42nd spot, the magazine says the manhunt may not have been successful, but it has driven him far underground. Once a glutton for publicity, he has not shot a new video since September 2007, and no audio message from him has been heard since May 2008, it says.
But as the Mumbai attacks showed, bin Laden's ideology continues to inflict monstrous harm," the magazine points out.
Awarding Chinese President Hu second place after Obama, Newsweek says he is a guy "you wouldn't think twice about cautious, colourless and corporate and in the past, he has lost spotlight to other world leaders with bigger egos and sharper elbows."
"But to underestimate Hu would be a monumental error. His position as China's president makes him CEO of a financial juggernaut that's projected to post USD 280 billion trade surplus this year.
"While the rest of the world plunges deeper into recession, Hu the Humble is emerging as the one who is holding the lifeline," it says.
"Economists at Deutsche Bank forecast that the world economy will expand a meager 0.2 per cent in 2009 the worst year since at least 1950. In 2007, growth was almost 5 per cent. Without stronger growth, the slump might feed on itself and fuel economic nationalism," the magazine warns.
Others on the list include the Dalai Lama, former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, Iranian strongman Ayatollah Ali Khemenei, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, American General David Petraeus, Iraqi leader Nuri al-Maliki, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Pope Benedict XVI, Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch and popular show host Oprah Winfrey.
Source: ExpressIndia
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan have been ranked among the 50 most powerful people in the world by the prestigious US-based magazine 'Newsweek' magazine in a list topped by President- elect Barack Obama.
Pakistan army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who controls the country's nuclear weapons, is placed 20th on the list of the global "power elite" at the beginning of 2009 in the magazine's January issue.
Obama, who scripted history by becoming the first black-American to be voted to the White House, is followed by Chinese President Hu Jintao, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Markel and powerful Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
A surprise inclusion in the list, which the magazine admits is subjective, is Osama bin Laden, whom the Newsweek describes as "global terrorist." North Korean dictator Jim Jong II also finds a place in the list.
Placing Sonia Gandhi at 17th spot, the magazine says though Indian political scene is riven by factions, Congress remains the strongest national force and rules unchallenged.
"In the world's largest democracy, she is the queen." The magazine describes Shahrukh Khan, who occupies 41st spot, as the 'King of Bollywood'.
On Kayani, it says, that in theory this mumbling chain-smoking Pakistan army chief answers to President Asif Ali Zardari. But Kayani and his troops remain the dominant power in what could be the most dangerous country in the world, it adds.
About 47-year-old Obama, it says the presidency of the "intensely charismatic" Democrat, who will be inaugurated on January 20, will be judged on how he handles the economic crisis that now envelops the US and the world. "For Obama to be remembered as a great President, he has to do nothing less than rescue capitalism."
For bin Laden, who finds 42nd spot, the magazine says the manhunt may not have been successful, but it has driven him far underground. Once a glutton for publicity, he has not shot a new video since September 2007, and no audio message from him has been heard since May 2008, it says.
But as the Mumbai attacks showed, bin Laden's ideology continues to inflict monstrous harm," the magazine points out.
Awarding Chinese President Hu second place after Obama, Newsweek says he is a guy "you wouldn't think twice about cautious, colourless and corporate and in the past, he has lost spotlight to other world leaders with bigger egos and sharper elbows."
"But to underestimate Hu would be a monumental error. His position as China's president makes him CEO of a financial juggernaut that's projected to post USD 280 billion trade surplus this year.
"While the rest of the world plunges deeper into recession, Hu the Humble is emerging as the one who is holding the lifeline," it says.
"Economists at Deutsche Bank forecast that the world economy will expand a meager 0.2 per cent in 2009 the worst year since at least 1950. In 2007, growth was almost 5 per cent. Without stronger growth, the slump might feed on itself and fuel economic nationalism," the magazine warns.
Others on the list include the Dalai Lama, former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, Iranian strongman Ayatollah Ali Khemenei, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, American General David Petraeus, Iraqi leader Nuri al-Maliki, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Pope Benedict XVI, Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch and popular show host Oprah Winfrey.
Source: ExpressIndia
SIKKIM POLL LIKELY TO BE ANNOUNCED IN FEB END
NEW DELHI:20 DEC 2008. With the Election Commission getting clear indications that the government wants to last the full term, the dates for the 2009 general
election are likely to be announced in the last week of February.
Highly placed sources said unlike the 2004 general election, the next poll could be in more than four phases. But a few states could have single-phased polls also.
Simultaneously, the schedule for assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim would also be announced.
Explaining the rationale for more than a four-phase election, sources said apart from logistic reasons, the EC is also taking into account delimitation, Naxal violence, insurgency and increase in election booths to eight lakh from seven lakh at present.
The next general election would also be a test for senior most election commissioner Navin Chawla who would take over from CEC N Gopalaswamy in the middle of the poll process in April.
"We would wait till the vote-on-account gets passed. The government has already said another Parliament session would be called. We have begun our preparations for an early summer election," a senior EC official said referring to the three-day meeting of state chief electoral officers that ended on Thursday. States have been told to complete revision of electoral rolls by January 5, 2009.
EC sources also said that even if the government were to dissolve the Lok Sabha, there would not be any major change in the schedule.
For the next general election, EC has already decided that for the first time every habitation with up to 300 people would have a polling booth. In preparation for the poll, EC has also decided that rules on defacement of public property should be strictly enforced.
EC has also ordered 1.8 lakh Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to deal with new booths. The new EVMs would replace the 1.5 lakh existing machines.
As for defacement of public property, EC has prepared a detailed directive to all states. After studying defacement laws of all states, EC decided that in each state the existing law would prevail. In case a state does not have any law, EC has told it that public property should not be defaced during the election campaign. Private property can be used for writing slogans only after seeking the permission of the owner.
( Source:TOI)
election are likely to be announced in the last week of February.
Highly placed sources said unlike the 2004 general election, the next poll could be in more than four phases. But a few states could have single-phased polls also.
Simultaneously, the schedule for assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim would also be announced.
Explaining the rationale for more than a four-phase election, sources said apart from logistic reasons, the EC is also taking into account delimitation, Naxal violence, insurgency and increase in election booths to eight lakh from seven lakh at present.
The next general election would also be a test for senior most election commissioner Navin Chawla who would take over from CEC N Gopalaswamy in the middle of the poll process in April.
"We would wait till the vote-on-account gets passed. The government has already said another Parliament session would be called. We have begun our preparations for an early summer election," a senior EC official said referring to the three-day meeting of state chief electoral officers that ended on Thursday. States have been told to complete revision of electoral rolls by January 5, 2009.
EC sources also said that even if the government were to dissolve the Lok Sabha, there would not be any major change in the schedule.
For the next general election, EC has already decided that for the first time every habitation with up to 300 people would have a polling booth. In preparation for the poll, EC has also decided that rules on defacement of public property should be strictly enforced.
EC has also ordered 1.8 lakh Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to deal with new booths. The new EVMs would replace the 1.5 lakh existing machines.
As for defacement of public property, EC has prepared a detailed directive to all states. After studying defacement laws of all states, EC decided that in each state the existing law would prevail. In case a state does not have any law, EC has told it that public property should not be defaced during the election campaign. Private property can be used for writing slogans only after seeking the permission of the owner.
( Source:TOI)
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