IDR Blog
Hunted in Jungles like Animals
What shall people do when they can’t eat enough, sustain their families, or share in the wealth on their land? The origin of the Naxal problem in India’s forest and mineral heartland goes back before partition. The local tribal populace – 70 million strong, known as Adivasis – meaning “original inhabitants”[1] – were tillers...
Telecom Gear: Link security with the go-local policy
The National Security Council (NSC) has backed the proposed policy of Department of Telecom (DoT) to encourage local manufacturing of telecom gear against the backdrop security concerns, because India has all the knowhow and expertise on information technology. Chinese firms have been accused of stealing intellectual property on a massive...
Chinese Prime Minister’s visit to India
Prime Minister Li Kequiang of China, who took over in March last, is to visit India, Pakistan, Switzerland and Germany during his first round of overseas visits after taking over as the Prime Minister. His clubbing together his visits to India and Pakistan on his way to Europe indicates the equal importance which the newly-elected Chinese...
China: Stooping to succumb
A Defence Minister who cannot read a hospital register recording the date of birth of his Chief of Army Staff can hardly be expected to read a map and discern Chinese inroads to the extent of an admitted 19-kms (some say 30-kms). So it was no surprise that Mr. AK Anthony remained near-invisible after Beijing’s latest land grab became public,...
Sharif: Pakistan’s next Prime Minister?
The other day while watching noted television journalist Karan Thapar’ s “Devil’s Advocate” programme, I was impressed by Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif’s “sincere” assurance that if elected to the office of the Prime Minister, he would never allow the Pakistani soil to be used by the terror groups against India. Shaif, who has...