Hillary Clinton to visit India in July for strategic talks!To strengthen US interests and Corporate Zionist Imperialims. Hegemony and LPG Rule are NOT to oppose understood! What about the Marxists and Ambedkarites? Meanwhile, Brahaminical Opposition led by Hindutva forces go GA GA with one after another Scam in UPA era Exposed. But it has NOT to Oppose Economic reforms. Neither the Brahaminical Civil Society nor Media. While after the ouster of Raja and Maran, Ouster Cry against two other Ministers Chidambaram and SIBAL gets maddening!Mind you, Neo Liberalism and Free Market Economy of EXCLUSION and Ethnic cleansing introduced in India, Security cooperation, commercial and other ties between India and the United States have improved rapidly in the past decade -- a departure from the Cold War era when relations were often mistrustful and occasionally hostile.India has long accused neighbouring Pakistan of harbouring militant groups and analysts say it is becoming increasingly concerned that growing unrest in Pakistan could compromise the safety of the country's nuclear arsenal.India, which is also armed with nuclear weapons, and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from British rule in 1947. Rahul promises farmer-friendly bill in Parliament! Then? Govt market borrowings won't elbow out private sector: Pranab

Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY EIGHT

Palash Biswas

http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/

http://basantipurtimes.blogspot.com/

Rahul promises farmer-friendly bill in Parliament! Then?

Govt market borrowings won't elbow out private sector: Pranab

Hillary Clinton to visit India in July for strategic talks!To strengthen US interests and Corporate Zionist Imperialims. Hegemony and LPG Rule are NOT to oppose understood! What about the Marxists and Ambedkarites? Meanwhile, Brahaminical Opposition led by Hindutva forces go GA GA with one after another Scam in UPA era Exposed. But it has NOT to Oppose Economic reforms. Neither the Brahaminical Civil Society nor Media. While after the ouster of Raja and Maran, Ouster Cry against two other Ministers Chidambaram and SIBAL gets maddening!Mind you, Neo Liberalism and Free Market Economy of EXCLUSION and Ethnic cleansing introduced in India, Security cooperation, commercial and other ties between India and the United States have improved rapidly in the past decade -- a departure from the Cold War era when relations were often mistrustful and occasionally hostile.India has long accused neighbouring Pakistan of harbouring militant groups and analysts say it is becoming increasingly concerned that growing unrest in Pakistan could compromise the safety of the country's nuclear arsenal.India, which is also armed with nuclear weapons, and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from British rule in 1947.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who will be visiting India from July 19 for second Indo-US Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi, will also be travelling to Chennai.

Clinton would be leading a high-powered US delegation, comprising of officials from various departments, with the focus on giving a new thrust to the relationship between the two countries.

"The depth of the US-India Strategic Dialogue demonstrates the United States' strong support for India as an important actor on the world stage and is representative of the broad and multifaceted US-India relationship," State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, said. Clinton will be visiting India from July 19 to July 20.

The partnership between the world's two largest democracies covers issues ranging from counter terrorism and defence cooperation to climate change, high-tech trade, and scientific innovation, she said.

"Together, the US and India are working to face the most important and pressing challenges of our time," Nuland said.

"During her trip to India, Clinton will also visit Chennai, marking the first visit by a serving US Secretary of State to the city, which has emerged as a hub for the trade, investment, and people-to-people engagement that is driving the US-India relationship," Nuland said.

This is Clinton's second trip to India in her capacity as the Secretary of State. During her stay in Chennai, Clinton is expected to visit the Ford factory, which manufactures' cars for not only the Indian market but also exports to other parts of the world.

She is also expected to hold a town hall meeting in Chennai. Clinton would arrive in New Delhi from her two day trip to Greece on July 17-18.
Counter-terrorism co-operation with India is a very top priority for the US so as to prevent future terrorist attacks such as the 2008 Mumbai carnage, a top American official said today, ahead of a crucial bilateral strategic dialogue.

"I do not see any limits on our counter terrorism cooperation with India," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake told reporters during a web-chat hosted by the US State Department.

"This is a very high priority for the United States to look with our Indian friends to ensure they have the best system possible to prevent future terrorist attacks such as the terrible attack that occurred in Mumbai in November 2008," he said, ahead of the important visit of the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to New Delhi later this month, the dates of which are yet to be announced.

He said one of the hallmarks of India-US cooperation over the last several years has been the increase in their counter terrorism cooperation. "We are looking to build on that," he underlined.

The two countries, he said, just had a very successful Homeland Security Dialogue that was chaired and led by Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano who went out to New Delhi in May to meet Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

"They had very successful meetings on a wide range of new collaborative arrangement to expand on homeland security cooperation and counter terrorism cooperation," Blake stressed.

"We do not in any way try to hyphenate that with Pakistan or with any other country. We do it on its own merit. We attach a very high priority," the top diplomat underlined.

He underscored the tremendous respect and admiration the US has for the steps that India has taken to expand its own cooperation with Afghanistan.
As he bid farewell, US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer today said relations between the two countries were moving in a positive direction and described pat down searches and criminal charges against Indian diplomats as an "occasional hiccup or challenge".

"(There are) really the positive stories going forward that define the relationship, and I hope the media will, quite frankly, concentrate on those good news stories as well as the occasional hiccup or challenge that takes place in the relationship," Roemer told reporters here.

He was replying to queries about the incidents of pat down searches and imposition of criminal charges against Indian diplomats in the US.

Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar and a few other diplomats were subjected in the recent past, to pat-down searches at the US airports over which India had registered its protest.

Criminal charges were also imposed on Kritika Biswas, daughter of an Indian diplomat only to be dropped later while Indian Consul General in New York Prabhu Dayal has been slapped with forced labour charges by his former house keeper.

Roemer said these were important issues and the US was working on them.

"When Secretary Janet Napolitano was here, she said that we were working to improve how when you have a Minister, you have very important people visit the United States...That is a smooth process, that that takes place without incident," he said.

Roemer said the two countries were "coordinating more and more the travel itineraries so that those experiences do not take place in the future."
The United States today said it "strongly and vehemently" supports the NSG clean waiver for India and hoped that the civil nuclear deal between the two countries will continue to move in a positive direction.

"I want to say that the US and the Obama Administration strongly and vehemently support the clean waiver for India. The 123 civil nuclear legislation also underscores our support for India in this debate that is going on and our law also points to the clean waiver for India," US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer told reporters here.

On his last day in office here, the US envoy was asked about the American support for India to get the clean waiver from the Nuclear Supplier's Group.

The 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG), the elite nuclear club, last week decided to push for more stringent norms that govern technology transfer for reprocessing technology. This decision has raised concerns about its impact on the landmark civil nuclear deal India signed with the US.

"With India's commitment and as they look to ratify the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) and they work closely with the US companies, I am hopeful that the civil nuclear agreement will continue to move in a positive direction," he added.

There have been indications that India was in touch with NSG and that the recent decision will not adversely impact the India-specific agreement with NSG.

Asked to comment on the issue of pat-down searches on Indian dignitaries at the US airports, the Ambassador said America was working on these issues to prevent their recurrence in future.

"When Janet Napolitano (US Homeland Security Secretary) was here, she said that we are working to improve how when you have a minister or a very important person (VIP) travelling to the United States... takes place without incidence. We are coordinating more and more on travel itineraries so that those experiences don't take place in future," Roemer said.

In the recent past, Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar and a few other diplomats were subjected to pat-down search at the US airports over which India had registered its protest.

Roemer said looking at the bigger picture, one finds that India and the US have come closer to each other in the last ten years and many "positive developments" have taken place in this time period between the two countries.

"We are working closely today in the fields of intelligence sharing and counter terrorism. We are working together on global issues and both India and US want a peaceful Afghanistan," he said.

Roemer said the media should also concentrate on the positives of the relationship along with the "occasional hiccups and the challenges faced by the relationship."

The United States has alerted international carriers, including those from India, flying directly into its territory, that terrorist groups might surgically implant bomb into human beings to carry out attacks.

"This is new intelligence about a possible technique that could be used, however there is nothing to indicate an imminent threat," a senior US security official told PTI on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to discuss intelligence information with the media.

The heightened communications and activities by the US, it is learnt, are in response to a potential threat, but there is no specific information about an imminent threat coming from a particular area.

"Such a threat is likely to come from overseas rather than domestically, but precautionary steps are being taken internationally and in the US," the official said.

It is understood that all countries including India with airports that have last-point-of-departure flights to the US have been alerted with the latest intelligence input gathered by the United States; which continues to be the prime target of the terrorists across the world, especially those based in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Since the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport have flights having last-point-of-departure to the US, it is logical that tightened security might be experienced by passengers at these two Indian airports as a result of the latest terror alert.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), recently briefed air carriers and foreign partners to provide greater insights into recent intelligence indicating the continued interest of terrorists to target aviation, its spokesman Kawika Riley, said.

"Due to the significant advances in global aviation security in recent years, terrorist groups have repeatedly and publicly indicated interest in pursuing ways to further conceal explosives," he said.

"As a precaution, passengers flying from international locations to US destinations may notice additional security measures in place," the spokesman said.

"These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same activity at every international airport," Riley said.

Measures may include interaction with passengers, in addition to the use of other screening methods such as pat-downs and the use of enhanced tools and technologies, the spokesman added.

"We will continue to monitor information pertaining to threats against the United States and its interests, and as always, encourage the public and our partners in law enforcement and the private sector to remain vigilant in promptly reporting any suspicious activities," Riley said.

"Dangerous Indo US strategic alliance under the garb of the ...
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US President Obama recently visited India to strengthen thealliance between the US imperialists and the Indian ruling class. This alliance is fraught with ...
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Members and supporters of the Communist Ghadar Party ofIndia, together with activists of several other organisations raised their voice against the ...
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4 Dec 2010 – Indo-US strategic alliance is an imperialist alliance! It is ...
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Indo-US Nuclear Deal - Communist Party of India (Marxist)
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STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH US. The Manmohan Singh government has followed on the ... report of the US-India CEO Forum titled "US-India Strategic Economic ...
invites : Message: 26aug:: Convention on "Dangerous Indo-US ...
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19 Aug 2008 – Lok Raj Sangathan cordially invites you to participate in an All India Convention on the theme of "Dangerous Indo-US Strategic Alliance ...

ON ANOTHER PLANE

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Calcutta Telegraph - Kanwal Sibal - 29 Jun 2011

Given the developing India-US strategic ties, the acknowledgment that the US possesses the world's most advanced military technologies, the field efforts ...

Calcutta Telegraph

In US visit, leaders of Indian opposition party blast concept of ...

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AHN | All Headline News - 27 Jun 2011

... to India," adding that it would focus on "developingIndo-American local-to-global linkages, strengthening collaborations and strategic alliances to ...

Air Marshal (Retd) BK Pandey, Bengaluru

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Military & Aerospace Electronics - 16 Jun 2011

Indo-US Strategic Partnership The process of large-scale acquisition of ... should come together, not necessarily to form an alliance but as natural and ...

Dr. Vish Prasad wins Michael P. Malone International Leadership ...

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He also led UNT's effort to establish strategic alliances with seven elite ... Prasad was honored by the Greater DallasIndo-American Chamber of Commerce ...

HMT in talks with government for capital infusion

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It was started by Indo-Nippon Bearings, subsequently HMT purchased this organization. ... We may look at strategic alliance business partnering who has got ...

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We have seen how the Chinese value the West and India in their advice to the Pakistanis for their offer of bases and strategic alliance, ...

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Pakistan Frustrated with US Relations

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Obama's Afghan beachhead & Asia

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Pakistan Observer - Rizwan Ghani - 25 Jun 2011

In simple words, Clinton is asking Islamabad to continue supporting America in its Asia policy and become part of US-Indo alliance against the region ...

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Hard place and happy talk

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A senior US politicians, in a later session on Afghanistan, pointedly called India a strategic partner in response to some Pakistani barbs. ...

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"An inversion of our world has happened without us noticing," Mr Wesley says. ... but on an "Indo-Pacific highway" that will bring the dynamism of the world ...

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No favours were granted to RCom, says Kapil Sibal

Home Minister Chidambaram had no role in 2G scam: Sibal

New Delhi: Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal Friday denied any favours were granted to Reliance Communications on the quantum of penalty on service quality and expressed grief that frivolous litigations were being filed to settle personal scores.
His reference was to a civil appeal filed in the Supreme Court Thursday by the Centre of Public Interest Litigation that alleged that the penalty imposed on the company based on certain provisions related to service conditions was grossly inadequate.
"The allegations are false. The allegations are malicious," Sibal said in a hurriedly-convened press conference here. He, however, declined comment on whom he was referring to in his statement that the petition was trying to settle personal scores.
The minister said there was also no link whatsoever between the second generation (2G) telecom spectrum case which is being heard in the Supreme Court, and the imposition of penalty on some companies for closure of services in some areas.
"The government cannot function in this way. A minister cannot take a decision... If any decision you take is contrary to what is suggested by A, B and C, it becomes dishonest," he said. "People have built reputations over years. It is easy for you to destroy them."
He said after Reliance Communications stopped its services in some areas in November 2010, a notice was served Dec 21 under what is called the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) agreement, asking why a penalty of Rs.50 crore should not be imposed.
"By the time the file came to me on Feb 18, by that time on Feb 16, the services had been restored. The issue before me was what provisions to apply. So, I looked at the USO Fund and Reliance agreement," he said, adding the decision was taken accordingly.
"That's how the Rs.5 crore figure came up," said the minister on the quantum of penalty imposed. "Assuming that the services had not been restored, I would have gone by the parent agreement which is between the department of telecom and Reliance."

Sibal also said there was also no basis of estimating the penalty at Rs.650 crore, as suggested in the public interest litigation, which went by applying a penalty of Rs.50 crore for each of the 13 circles the company was operating in.
"The petition is defamatory since it attributes dishonesty to decision-making," he said and added that it was also malicious since the matter had no link with the 2G case, and motivated since some people were trying to settle personal scores.
While Sibal did not name anyone, there was an open war of words between representatives of the government and the civil society on the panel on the Lokpal bill, that respectively included Sibal and advocate Prashant Bhushan, also counsel for Thursday's petition.
"It is also surprising that as soon as the affidavit is filed in the Supreme Court, it is distributed to the media so that the media can take note of it and defame the minister concerned," Sibal said. "This is the worst form of forum shopping."
Chidambaram had no role in 2G scam: Sibal
Coming to the defence of Home Minister P. Chidambaram, the government on Friday insisted that the former Finance Minister had "no role anywhere" in the 2G spectrum allocation controversy and demands for his resignation were a "conspiracy" against him.
The government also justified the fact that minutes of a meeting between Mr. Chidambaram and the then Telecom Minister A.Raja had not been recorded, saying it was not required.
"The demand for Chidambaram's resignation is a conspiracy. Chidambaram had no role anywhere. Whatever and whenever decisions he took, he did so after consultations," Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here.
He was responding when asked BJP's contention that Mr. Chidambaram had a role in the 2G spectrum allocation and should resign.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who was also present, claimed that Mr. Chidambaram had never recommended to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that start -- up spectrum should be treated as a 'closed chapter" and there was some confusion regarding it.
"His comments were about additional spectrum charges," he maintained.
On the minutes of meeting between Mr. Chidambaram and Mr. Raja not being recorded, Mr. Bansal argued, "the meeting was not such where the situation warranted preparation of any minutes...
The meeting was not required to record minutes."
He said it was not a structured meeting like a Cabinet meeting or GOM where the minutes are prepared immediately after. "There are several occasions where two ministers meet even to discuss a specific issue but minutes are not made."
Source: IANS & PTI

U.S. optimistic on nuclear cooperation with India despite hurdles

NARAYAN LAKSHMAN
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APU.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake.

TOPICS

diplomacy India-United States

The new Nuclear Suppliers Group guidelines on enrichment and reprocessing technology will not in any way detract from the existing United States-India nuclear cooperation and the Obama administration fully supported the so-called clean NSG exception for India, according to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake.

With less than three weeks to go before the second round of the India-United States Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi, Mr. Blake, in a web briefing with select media, also denied that the U.S. had any concerns about losing out to potential rivals Russia and France in the bid to supply civilian nuclear products to India.

'Opportunities for U.S. companies'

Responding to a question from The Hindu on this subject Mr. Blake said, "We think there are really quite important opportunities for American companies still," pointing out that two reactor parks had been set aside for U.S. corporations in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The U.S. was also looking forward, he said, to India ratifying the Convention on Supplementary Compensation.

Above and beyond that there were also some further technical aspects to address, such as the Part 810 non-proliferation assurances that India is required to supply to the U.S. Department of Energy. "As far as we know, those remain on track and again, that these will be a subject of discussion when the Secretary [of State Hillary Clinton] visits," the Assistant Secretary noted.

Clinton to visit Chennai

Meanwhile, the State Department announced on Friday that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be visiting Chennai during her trip to India. This would mark the first visit by a serving U.S. Secretary of State to the city, said State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland, noting that Chennai had "emerged as a hub for the trade, investment, and people-to-people engagement that is driving the U.S.-India relationship."

According to sources, Ms. Clinton is expected to visit the Ford factory in Chennai and also hold a town hall meeting in the city.

'Reduce limits on FDI'

Mr. Blake also responded to a query from The Hindu on areas of the Indian economy where the U.S. hoped to get more market access for U.S. companies.

"Our countries are hoping that the Indian Parliament and the Indian government will take actions to reduce some of the limits on foreign direct investment in areas such as retail that will provide huge new opportunities for our companies and help India to increase the level of foreign investment... and jobs in India and also lower the prices of food [which] is of increasing concern to Indian consumers."

Sources here had earlier indicated that a key announcement on liberalising the multi-brand retail sector towards more foreign investment was likely during the Strategic Dialogue.

Troop withdrawals from Afghan

Speaking to a query on what assurances the U.S. could give India about the safety of its personnel and assets in Afghanistan, Mr. Blake said that there may be a misunderstanding about the planned level of U.S. troop withdrawals, which were "relatively modest."

Noting that the U.S. would closely consult with India on this process going forward, he added, "I expect that this will be a very important part of our strategic dialogue consultations."

Mr. Blake also reiterated the U.S.' "tremendous respect and admiration" for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's pledge to raise the total amount of assistance to Afghanistan to $2 billion.

Keywords: India-US relations, nuclear cooperation, India-United States Strategic Dialogue, clinton visit

Indo-U.S. Strategic Dialogue

| JUNE 4, 2010

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is in Washington, for the first ever India-United States Strategic Dialogue. The visit is believed to have set the tone for fruitful bilateral relations. A few images of this crucial diplomatic event. »

Inaugural India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue slated for June 1-4

| MAY 23, 2010

Narayan LakshmanWashington: The inaugural India-United States Strategic Dialogue will take place in Washington DC between June 1 and June 4, the State Department confirmed on Friday. The dia... »

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2211631.ece?homepage=true

"In the case of Kapil Sibal, it is being said that he gave relief to an industrial house by heavily reducing the penalty to nominal. This should be seriously investigated as these are the companies which have been associated with the scams," senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi told reporters in Varanasi.

RCom was not favoured, charges malicious: Sibal

PTI | 09:07 PM,Jul 08,2011
"The notice for Rs 50 crore was to pressurise the Reliance Telecom.... They got worried," Sibal said, adding finally the services were restored on February 16, this year and the company paid a penalty of Rs 5.5 crore. He maintained that the penalty was calculated on the basis of duration of disruption of services (7-45 days) as provided in the agreement between USO Fund and RCom. An application was filed in the Supreme Court by Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) alleging that Sibal reduced the penalty from Rs 650 crore to Rs five crore against Anil Ambani-headed RCom for violations in the UASL agreement. The NGO alleged that a penalty of Rs 50 crore per circle should have been imposed for "violation of the terms and conditions of Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) agreement and UASL agreement by voluntary, unilateral and unauthorized switching-off/closure of services to subscribers from USOF sites without any notice." "The Rs 5 crore penalty on the ADAG firm was as per the agreement between the USOF and Reliance Telecom. The DoT was nothing to do with the penalty as the company had not violated the rules of license conditions," Sibal said. He said when the file reached him on February 18, this year, RCom had already restored the services two days prior to that. He said he gave instructions to impose penalty as per the provisions of the agreement and did not himself decide the amount of Rs 5 crore as penalty. He, however, was evasive when asked on what basis Rs 50 crore was decided as penalty.

MPs use Parliament to lobby for their businessSmitha Nair , CNN-IBN

Updated Jul 08, 2011 at 10:56pm IST

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New Delhi: Earlier this year a visibly frustrated Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar that MPs were using Parliament's Central Hall for openly lobbying with him for their businesses.
Ramesh was articulating what some argue is a deep seated malaise. The most obvious case of conflict of interest is Dayanidhi Maran. He lorded over the telecom ministry despite the fact his family controls the second biggest media conglomerate - Sun Network.
Maran for example was part of the cabinet meet that deliberated on the Headend-in-the-Sky (HITS), an alternate technology to Direct to Home (DTH) which the Marans' Sun Direct provides.
Sharad Pawar, another key minister in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet, has interests in the sugar business. He holds the agriculture portfolio that is the nodal ministry for sugar policy.
Additionally Pawar as president of ICC lobbied for a tax waiver when India hosted the World Cup.
Lawmaking on education and health in particular has been controversial, given the sizable number of lawmakers with business interests in these sectors.
Five MPs on Rajya Sabha Panel of Education Tribunals Bill found to have links with Education Institutes. The five MPs are Prakash Jawdekar and SC Angadi of the BJP, Deepinder Hooda and Vinay Kumar Pandey of the Congress, and N Balaganga of the AIADMK.
Three members of Standing Committee on Health run Medical Education Institutes. The three members are Datta Meghe of the Congress, Prabhakar Kore of the BJP and MAM Ramaswamy of the JDS.
Standing Committee on Finance includes Industrialist MPs like Rajeev Chandrashekar.
Nine out of 26 members of Parliamentary Committee on Industry have business and industrial interests. Naveen Jindal is member of Public Accounts Committee and Vijay Mallya - owner of Kingfisher Airlines - was a nominated member of the Parliamentary Committee on Civil Aviation.
NK Singh, the JDU's Rajya Sabha MP, was in the midst of a huge controversy when the Nira Radia tapes came in public domain.
Rather curiously, when a private research organisation filed a petition before the Rajya Sabha's Ethics Committee asking for compulsory declaration from all upper house members about their business interests, the petition was dismissed citing violation of private rights of an individual. However, with the intervention of the Central Information Commission (CIC), the Ethics Committee has been forced to look at this issue again. It's clear evidence that our MPs will always be unhappy whenever their business interests are questioned.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mps-use-parliament-to-lobby-for-their-business/166022-37-64.html

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday asked home minister P Chidambaram to quit for not maintaining recorded minutes of a meeting between him and jailed former telecom minister A Raja on 2G spectrum pricing.

BAJNA (Mathura): Continuing with his march against the Mayawati government's land acquisition, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday assured farmers that the central government would introduce a farmer-friendly land acquisition bill in parliament.

Speaking to farmers on the fourth day of his padyatra through villages along the Yamuna Expressway to Aligarh in western Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi told farmers: "Although the union government is being run by coalition partners and different states have different kinds of problems, the proposed land acquisition bill finally passed would be farmer friendly."

On Friday he visited three villages falling under Aligarh district - Ghangholi, Kharora and Chandpur - and the same number falling under Mathura district - Katalia, Bajna and Morki. He is to address a mega rally of farmers in Aligarh Saturday.

While hearing the grievances of farmers, Gandhi said: "We have a coalition government at the centre in Delhi. There are a number of partners. We have to hold discussions with them; we are talking to our partners. We will bring a pro-farmers' bill; we are trying our best to pass it in the next session of the Lok Sabha."

The Congress leader said the National Advisory Council (NAC) and the government were both discussing the law.

Talking to the farmers he said, "It takes time to make a new law and the union government is working on it. If we make the law in haste, it will be wrong. We wish to make a new law which can last for at least next 30 to 40 years if not half of the century."

"We have to find a solution to land acquisition and we can find that through dialogue alone. Don't suppress people and their voices - what the UP government did while acquiring their land forcibly in Greater Noida. You need to involve people, if you don't involve the poor, it amounts to atrocities on them."

Asked why the centre did not stop the Mayawati government from "forcibly" taking over their lands, Gandhi said, "You have to understand one thing straight, the Congress does not run the UP government. We cannot help you in anyway about it."

He went on to say that the Congress party runs the union government and "we will do our best to give you a good, new land law".

Rahul Gandhi, who has been targeting Chief Minister Mayawati, accused her government of not properly utilizing central funds earmarked for various schemes.

"The state government's intention here does not seem to be good. It seems the state wishes to help only one person - the builders, not the farmers."

He, however, said, "If the Congress government comes to power in UP, it will be your government. It will not be the Congress government but the government of the people of Uttar Pradesh.".

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday assured the private sector of enough liquidity in the market saying the government, which has Rs 4.17 lakh crore borrowing plans in 2011-12, does not intend to elbow them out.

"So far the borrowing programme is concerned, always we match it in such a way that the others in the market of borrowing are not elbowed out," Mukherjee told reporters after meeting chief executives of public sector banks and financial institutions here.

In the Budget 2011-12, the government had announced a gross borrowing of Rs 4.17 lakh crore from the market, lower than Rs 4.47 lakh crore during last fiscal.

Of this, the government has announced to borrow 60 per cent or Rs 2.5 lakh crore in the first half of the fiscal, leaving enough credit in the market for the private players in October-March period to borrow.

The net market borrowings, after making re-payments, would total Rs 3.43 lakh crore in the current fiscal.

Besides, the government's plan to raise a massive Rs 40,000 crore from disinvestment of PSUs could squeeze liquidity from the capital market.

In addition, the Government would be losing Rs 49,000 crore due to cut in customs and excise duties on petroleum products.

Cost of credit has increased significantly in the past 16 months because of the tight monetary policy regime followed by RBI since March 2010.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to visit India this month for strategic talks with Indian leaders, a spokesman for the Indian foreign ministry said on Friday.

Clinton will be the most senior US official to visit India since a state visit by US President Barack Obama last November.

She will travel to New Delhi to attend the second India-US Strategic Dialogue on July 19 after presiding over the first such meeting between the world's two largest democracies last year in Washington.

"We are working on a programme" for Clinton's visit, foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash told AFP.

Prakash did not elaborate on the topics up for discussion during Clinton's talks with Indian foreign minister S.M. Krishna but regional security was expected to be high on the agenda.

The Press Trust of India quoted unnamed Indian sources as saying New Delhi's suspicions of links between militant Islamist groups and Pakistan's powerful military secret service, the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, would be part of the discussions.

US plans to start cutting troop numbers in Afghanistan from July, with all foreign soldiers due out by the end of 2014, were also expected to be discussed.
India fears that Afghanistan could fall under the control of a Taliban-influenced government friendly to Pakistan in the wake of the departure of western troops.
A spokesman for the US Embassy in New Delhi said it had no immediate comment on Clinton's visit.

Clinton last visited the South Asian region in late May when she flew into Pakistan and urged Islamabad to take decisive steps to defeat Al-Qaeda after relations between the wary allies went into freefall following the US commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 2.

US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano visited India at the same time as Clinton made her trip to Pakistan in a move to strengthen anti-terror information-sharing between India and the United States.

Clinton's Indian visit will be preceded by a meeting next week in New Delhi of the India-US High Technology Cooperation Group which seeks to promote the use of advanced technologies, an Indian foreign ministry statement said.

The BJP on Friday demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sack then Finance Minister P. Chidambaram "forthwith" for his alleged complicity in the 2G case.
08/07/2011

'NDA did not seek TRAI opinion'

New Delhi: A former chairman of TRAI on Friday told the JPC probing the 2G spectrum scam that the then NDA government did not seek the opinion of the telecom regulator on the issue of allocating "excess spectrum" to some private companies in 2002.
M.S. Verma, who headed Telecom Regulatory Authority of India between March, 2000 and March 2003 appeared before the JPC as a witness for the second consecutive day.
When some members asked him whether the issue of "excess allocation" of spectrum by the then government in 2002 was referred to TRAI, "Verma replied in a negative...he said the matter was not referred to TRAI," JPC chairman P.C. Chacko told reporters.
Chacko explained that upto 10 MHz of "excess spectrum, not additional spectrum" was allocated to some companies. "Some members asked him how such a decision was taken and whether TRAI's opinion was sought," he said.
While TRAI has powers to make suo motu recommendations to government, the regulator did not opt for the option then. Chacko said in fact during Verma's three-year tenure, TRAI did not make any suo motu recommendations to the government on any issue.
In reply to a question, the JPC chairman said while TRAI recommendations are not binding on the government, "such matters are expected to be referred (to TRAI)... efficient management of available spectrum comes under the power of TRAI".
Source: PTI

"The 2-G spectrum scandal is no longer only an 'ally affair'. The revelations in the JPC, which is looking into the scandal, and those coming out in the media show that there is a Congress overtone to this," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Referring to the events around January 10, 2008 when the 2G spectrum licences were issued, she said Home Minister P Chidambaram, who was then Finance Minister, is also responsible for the government not taking the auction route and claimed this led to a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

"On January 9, 2008, an additional secretary in the Finance Ministry had clearly suggested adoption of the auction route for spectrum usage charges. On January 15, the Finance Minister sent a note to the PM that the government adopt the auction route for future spectrum allocations and treat all allocations made in the past as a closed chapter," she said.

The BJP also wondered if not keeping minutes of a May 29, 2008 meeting on the 2G issue by the government was a "deliberate procedural lapse".

"An attempt was made in that meeting by then Finance Minister to gloss over the divergent opinions, cover up the disregard to rules, regulations and procedures in the issue of licences by holding a meeting with the then Telecom Minister A Raja.

"It is reported that the Prime Minister was informed of an 'agreed position' thereafter. A clear four months after the scandalous allocation of the 2G licences," Ms. Sitharaman said.

The BJP demanded that the Prime Minister break his silence on this matter and issue an explanation. It further said Mr. Chidambaram's position in the Cabinet has become untenable now and he should be "removed forthwith".

India has contributed to a large reduction in global poverty, according to the UN annual report on the Millennium Development Goals , which also pointed out that despite progress, the most vulnerable sections of society were being left out.

The report, which was released on Thursday , said that poverty continues to decline in many countries and regions.

It said that the fastest and sharpest reductions in poverty were in Eastern Asia particularly in China where the poverty rate is expected to fall under 5 per cent by 2015.

"India has also contributed to the large reduction in global poverty," the report said.

"In that country, poverty rates are projected to fall from 51 per cent in 1990 to about 22 per cent in 2015."

The report said that in China and India combined, the number of people living in extreme poverty between 1990 and 2005 declined by about 455 million, and an additional 320 million people are expected to join their ranks by 2015.

The report examines where the world stands in terms of achieving the eight social and economic targets by 2015.

The goals include eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, and ensuring environmental sustainability.

The report also said that despite significant setbacks after the 2008-2009 economic crisis, the world is still on track to reach the poverty-reduction target.

By 2015, it is now expected that the global poverty rate will fall below 15 per cent, well under the 23 per cent target.

The report pointed out that despite progress, the most vulnerable sections of society were being left out.

For instance, the poorest children have made the least progress towards improved nutrition.

On the health front, it said that the prevalence of tuberculosis was declining.

Between 1995 and 2009, a total of 41 million tuberculosis patients were successfully treated and up to 6 million lives were saved due to effective international protocols for the treatment of tuberculosis.

However, India had one of the highest number of tuberculosis cases along with China, South Africa, Nigeria and Indonesia. China and India combined accounted for 35 per cent of the world's new tuberculosis cases.

In environmental sustainability, the report said that forests are rapidly disappearing in South America while Asia led by China is experiencing net gains, the report said.

Asia had registered a net gain of 2.2 million hectares annually in the past 10 years, mostly because of large afforestation programme in China, India and Vietnam.

India no longer non-aligned country: US

WASHINGTON: Ahead of a crucial Indo-US strategic dialogue, the US on Friday said it no longer considers India a non-aligned country, but New Delhi is not an American ally in traditional sense.

"I do not consider India a non-aligned country any more. I think that really changed after 9/11 where India really realized that it has a wide range of common interest with the United States," said Robert Blake , the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.

"I do not think that India and the United States would be allies in the traditional sense, but I do think, that we have an expanding convergence of our national interest," he underlined, as the two nations prepares for the third round of Strategic Dialogue later this month.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be leading a high-powered US delegation to New Delhi for strategic talks, the dates of which are yet to be announced.

Blake said the two leading democracies of the world "have common vales like support for free market economies, support for peace and stability around the world".

He underlined that India and the US are increasingly working together to help promote peace and security "so that is why our President has said that this is going to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century".

Blake told journalists in response to a question during a web chat, organized by the State Department, that the dialogue would review the relationship between the two countries and focus on the way forward.

"All her focus would be to review wide range of cooperation she already had with counterparts External Affairs Minister, S M Krishna. But it is just important is to look ahead as to how we take this relationship forward," the top diplomat said.

National Sample Survey finds huge disparity in Indians' income
While average monthly per capita expenditure stood at Rs 1,053.64 in rural areas and Rs 1,984.46 in urban India in 2009-10, there remained a huge gap between the incomes of the top and bottom segments of the population, as per the latest National Sample Survey.

The National Sample Survey also found that food items accounted for the bulk of the expenditure, with the share of food in total household spending at 57 per cent and 44 per cent in rural and urban areas, respectively.

Key indicators from the 66th round of the NSS' quinquennial survey released today said the per capita expenditure level of the urban population was on average about 88 per cent higher than that of the rural population, based on the measure of modified mixed reference period (MMRP).

"In terms of MMRP estimates, the average monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) in 2009-10 was estimated as Rs 1,053.64 in rural India and Rs 1,984.46 in urban India," it said.

The survey found that the poorest 10 per cent of India's rural population had an average MPCE of Rs 453, while for the poorest 10 per cent of the urban population, the average MPCE stood at Rs 599.

There is a huge gap between the income level of the top and bottom segments in the country.

The top 10 per cent of the rural population had an average MPCE of Rs 2,517, which is about 5.6 times that of the bottom 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, the top 10 per cent of the urban population had an average MPCE of Rs 5,863, or about 9.8 times that of the bottom 10 per cent.

"In rural India, half of the population belonged to households with an MPCE below Rs 895 (median value) and nearly 40 per cent of the rural population of India had MPCE below Rs 800," the key indicators said.

About 60 per cent of the rural population had an MPCE of less than Rs 1,000, while only about 10 per cent had an MPCE above Rs 1,650.

In urban areas of the country, half the population was living with an MPCE below Rs 1,500.

About 70 per cent of the rural population had an MPCE above Rs 1,100, while nearly 30 per cent had an MPCE above Rs 2,100 and 20 per cent above Rs 2,600.

There was also a marked difference in the spending patterns of the top and bottom strata with respect to food.
12th Plan water reforms to be pro-farmer, tech-savvy: Plan Comm

SINGAPORE: Pro-farmer, tech-savvy reforms will made for the development of water resources in the 12th Five-Year plan, which begins next year, a member of the Planning Commission said here yesterday.

The focus would be on technology to manage water resources, promote the use of recycled water among industries and pay per use, said Planning Commission Member Mihir Shah, who holds the charge of water in the commission.

Technology would help both large and small industries to use recycled water, while payment would ensure the water needs of the entire population is met, he said at the Singapore International Water Week.

"Pricing has been a stumbling block for many years. But once the water supply is ensured, people will want to pay for it," said Shah, adding that people should have a role in water management and understand the limits of the resource.

Shah underlined the sensitivity of paying for water, but highlighted some model projects in Andhra Pradesh where people were paying for it as they had been involved in the project.

People from farmers to industries should be involved in the water projects, stressed Shah, noting the increasing public concern about privatisation of water, which was widely seen as taking away "the gift of God" from the people.

Shah pointed out that India's water efficiency was the lowest in the world and stressed on the need for industries to lead by using recycled water for their processes.

Sprinklers and drip systems would help farmers improve water usage, said Shah, adding that the best global technologies that suit the local environment were being studied to improve water efficiency in the country.

"Look at India through the Indian lenses and reality in selecting technology," he said, pointing out that introduction of the best technology would be one of the focus points of the irrigation reforms to be taken up during the 12th Plan.

8 JUL, 2011, 03.49AM IST, M RAJSHEKHAR,ET BUREAU

Draft Microfinance Institutions Bill completed, brings organisations under RBI purview

NEW DELHI: With the Finance Ministry completing its draft Microfinance Institutions (Development and Regulation) Bill, another large piece of the puzzle on how to regulate Microfinance Institutions has fallen into place.

It has been a tough puzzle to crack. In the beginning of last year, when complaints about women being pushed into debt traps were gathering pace, the RBI and the FinMin were flummoxed by the diverse array of microfinance providers - NBFC-MFIs, co-operatives, non-profits, trusts - all answering to different regulations. The business itself, built around multiple, small transactions in farflung areas, made it hard to verify claims about collection methods and interest rates.

Today, looking at the draft Bill, it is evident that the FinMin has managed to find a way out of some of these perplexities. The Bill defines microfinance services broadly - financial services in small amounts including microcredit, collection of thrift, remittances, pensions, insurance and so on - and brings all organisations - except cooperatives only accepting deposits from their members - under the purview of one regulator (the RBI).

This is a marked contrast from the previous iteration of the Microfinance Bill - which was tabled in Parliament in 2007 but lapsed without becoming an Act. It supervised only those institutions that accepted deposits from microfinance clients (trusts, charitable societies, non-profits, etc). Not NBFC-MFIs which account for the bulk of microfinance disbursals in this country.

Further, unlike the Malegam committee , which advocated a minimum net worth of 15 crore for any MFI, the draft Bill pegs the minimum net worth at just 5 lakh. A change that smaller microfinance companies will welcome because, had the Malegam committee's recommendation been accepted, to be eligible as MFIs, only microfinance providers with a loan portfolio of 100 crore would have been regarded as MFIs.

Instead, the bill proposes that smaller MFIs, once they swell to a stipulated size in terms of clients and microcredit disbursals, be regarded as systemically important microfinance instutions and be subjected to more stringent scrutiny.

In that sense, says Kishore Puli, the founder of Trident Microfin, a medium MFI headquartered in Hyderabad, "The draft Bill gives a lot of clarity to new entrants."

In the early days of drafting the Bill, says CS Reddy, the CEO of Andhra Pradesh Mahila Abhivruddhi Society , an organisation that works with SHGs, the industry wanted an independent regulator for the sector, tentatively named the Microfinance Development and Regulatory Authority. Going by the bill, this suggestion has not found favour amongst other constituents of the drafting committee.

Instead, two advisory councils are being created. The first, the Microfinance Development Council , will advise the government on policies and other measures required for "the orderly growth and development" of the microfinance sector. Apart from these, the bill recommends State Advisory Councils be set up. These will monitor, among other things, field level conduct of the MFIs and bring those to the attention of the central government.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/draft-microfinance-institutions-bill-completed-brings-organisations-under-rbi-purview/articleshow/9144080.cms
Kalmadi can attend parliament if court allows: Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Friday said that jailed former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief and MP Suresh Kalmadi would be able to attend parliament only if a competent court allowed him to do so.

Kalmadi, the speaker said, has written to her seeking permission to attend the monsoon session of parliament.

"The issue you are raising, I will refer to it. There is a legal process going on. It is for the competent court to decide (whether Kalmadi should be allowed to attend parliament proceedings)," Meira Kumar said when told that MPs facing trial on criminal charges have attended the house in the past.

The speaker skirted a reply when she was asked if courts had the power to stop an elected MP from attending the house.

"Parliament is supreme but when legal process is on against an honourable member that has to be kept in mind. Now, that a legal process has been initiated, we cannot ignore it," she said.

Kalmadi was removed as Congress parliamentary party secretary and sacked as the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief before his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged involvement in large-scale irregularities in the preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He was also suspended by the Congress.

He is in the Tihar Jail for the past two months.

If allowed, Kalmadi won't be the first MP to attend parliament while in custody.

In the past, RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin and independent MP Pappu Yadav were convicted in separate cases for murder but were shifted from a Bihar jail to the Tihar Jail to attend the Lok Sabha after securing permission from the courts.

They also participated in the voting that followed the debate in the 2008 trust vote which the government had sought after the Left parties withdrew their support over the India-US nuclear deal. Pappu Yadav even spoke in the house during the debate.

The speaker, however, denied media reports that DMK leader and jailed former IT and communication minister A. Raja also had written a letter to her seeking similar permission.

The monsoon session of parliament begins on Aug 1.

8 JUL, 2011, 08.58PM IST,REUTERS

US is not facing double-dip recession: Report

WASHINGTON: The US economy is not facing a double-dip recession , but weak job growth is "a call to arms" for policymakers to take steps to reinvigorate the private sector, a top White House adviser said on Friday.

"This is not a double dip," Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Austan Goolsbee told Reuters Insider after the government report showed the economy created only 18,000 jobs in June. "This is a reflection and reiteration that the growth rate slowed at the beginning of this year."

Recent housing and employment data suggests the US economy is at a tipping point where a double-dip recession is possible and home prices could have much further to fall, a veteran economist said on Thursday.

Robert Shiller said the recent uptick in unemployment is not yet enough of a sign as to which way the recovery is heading. But if unemployment continues to rise in the coming months, it could suggest another recession.

"Whether we call it a double-dip or not, I think there is a risk," Shiller told Reuters Insider in an interview.

Likewise, data showing US home prices fell into a double dip in March could prove to be either a seasonal effect over the winter months or part of a downward trend.

"My gut feeling is we might see a continuation of the decline" in home prices, Shiller said earlier on Thursday at a Standard & Poor's housing summit.

He added that a 10 percent to 25 percent slump in real home prices "wouldn't surprise me at all," though he cautioned that was not a forecast.

Shiller pointed to the glut of unsold homes on the market and the large amount of homeowners under water on their mortgages as pressuring prices.

As for when home prices might bottom, Shiller told Insider that was unclear and it was possible prices could slide for 20 years.

"We've seen five years of decline already since the peak in 2006 and I don't see evidence that we're coming out of it," he said.

Shiller, known for warning about bubbles in the stock market and housing market, is also the co-founder of the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. Last week the index showed single-family home prices in March slumped to lows not seen since March 2003, falling below the previous crisis-era bottom set in April 2009.

That report, along with other data, including grim jobs figures and a slowdown in manufacturing, suggested that the economic soft patch seen in the first quarter of the year could be more protracted.

Home prices had been supported last spring by a tax credit, but the housing market has struggled since the credit expired.

Sources told Reuters earlier this week that the Obama administration has grown increasingly frustrated with the country's struggling housing sector and is exploring ways to keep it from weakening further.
"This should be a call to action," he added. "We need to take bipartisan action to help the private sector stand up and start growing, hiring and investing," Goolsbee said.

He cited steps from passing free trade agreements to securing a deal on long-term deficit reduction.
8 JUL, 2011, 07.20PM IST,ET BUREAU

FM cautions state banks, FIs on NPAs

NEW DELHI : finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has cautioned all state run banks and financial institutions on the downward trend of asset quality. "They (banks) should to exert themselves to devise suitable strategies for containing and rolling back non performing assets," he said. Muk-herjee on Friday, took the annual review of the performance of public sector banks and financial institutions.

He also assured the private sector of enough liquidity in the market and said that the government, which has Rs 4.17 lakh crore borrowing plans in 2011-12, does not intend to elbow them out.

"So far the borrowing programme is concerned, always we match it in such a way that the others in the market of borrowing are not el-bowed out," he said. In the Budget 2011-12, the government had an-nounced a gross borrowing of Rs 4.17 lakh crore from the market, lower than Rs 4.47 lakh crore during last fiscal. Of this, the govern-ment has announced to borrow 60% or Rs 2.5 lakh crore in the first half of the fiscal.

Mukherjee expressed his satisfaction on the 22.44% credit growth re-corded by the state run banks in 2010-11 but cautioned on the mod-eration in the last quarter. Credit growth has moderated largely be-cause of the hike in interest rates due to the tight monetary policy re-gime followed by RBI since March 2010.

Further banks have been more cautious in lending to certain sector such as real estate and power due to rising bad loans in these sectors. SBI's chairman Pratip Chaudhuri said on the sidelines of the review meeting that the bank will not finance real estate projects which are being carried out in dispute areas.

RV Verma, chairman of National Housing Bank, which is also the sec-toral regulator for all housing finance companies said that due dili-gence is very necessary while advancing credit to commercial real es-tate sector as high interest regime is pushing up project costs and hence greater chances of default.

Mukherjee expressed confidence in the resilience of Indian banks and said advised banks' chairman to undertake a comprehensive capital planning exercise, particularly in view of the Basel III capital adequacy benchmarks.

The finance minister asked banks to pursue financial inclusion through the business correspondent (BC) model and stressed that there should be transactions in the no-frill accounts. He also asked banks should also support their sponsored Regional Rural Banks.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/finance/fm-cautions-state-banks-fis-on-npas/articleshow/9151968.cms
Coins with new rupee symbol to be in circulation soon: FinMin
The government on Friday released new series coins of Rs 1, 2, 5 and 10, bearing the rupee symbol, which will be in circulation soon. A new series coin of 50 paise was also released.

"New coins will not only reduce the cost of moving materials but also are of user friendly size and weight," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said after releasing the new series.

In a statement, the Finance Ministry said the security edging of new series of coins would be good for better recognition by visually challenged persons and will have improved counterfeit resistance.

The minting of the new series of coins of all denominations is in full swing at the various mints of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL), it added.

"The new coins will be lifted by the RBI for circulation to public very soon," the ministry said.

Earlier, the government had constituted a high level committee to suggest rationalisation of denomination of coins and currency notes to be minted and printed in the future.

The committee submitted its report in October 2009, which was considered by the government at appropriate level.

Last month, the 25 paise coins were withdrawn from circulation.

8 JUL, 2011, 07.10PM IST, MAN MOHAN RAI,ET BUREAU

Rahul winds up his tour, BSP says he avoided food cooked by Dalits

LUCKNOW: On the last day of Rahul Gandhi's foot march the Bahujan Samaj Party hit back at the Congress general secretary claiming that he avoided eating food at a Dalit household. Even as the Congress party geared up for a massive rally in Aligarh on Saturday, the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party said that "Rahul Gandhi's foot march through villages along the Yamuna Expressway was a big drama and though he spent the night at a Dalit home he did not eat food cooked by them and preffered to get it from outside".

A press release issued by the BSP said that on Thursday Rahul Gandhi stayed the night at a Dalit's hut in village Marodgarhi in Aligarh district but he refused food cooked at his house and his dinner was brought from outside.

Even his aides accompanying him through the tour ate food arranged from the house of the village gram pradhan.

The BSP said that this exposed the bias and anti-Dalit mentality of Rahul Gandhi. The party said that Congress and others were not able to tolerate the rise of Dalit to the position of Chief Minister of UP. It said that the Mayawati government had brought in a very friendly land acquisition policy which gave due compensation and other benefits to the farmers.

Even as the BSP pointed out the failure of the Congress government at the centre to introduce a new land acquisition policy, Rahul Gandhi was winding up his four day long padyatra through villages of western-UP along the Yamuna Highway.

He said at Devaka village that he learnt more from farmers through his march than he did as a Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha. He told villagers along his way to question the state government for its flawed polices and help bring a Congress government in UP which would work for their welfare.

Rahul Gandhi would address the farmers Maha Panchayat rally in Aligarh on Saturday which would give indicators of the kind of support his foot march evoked among the farmers and which way the wind was blowing in UP.

The Congress had initially wanted to hold the rally in Bhatta Parsaul which was the epicenter of farmers agitation against Mayawati's land acquisition polices but was denied permission. The Congress later asked for and was denied permission for holding the rally at several places in the region, with the Mayawati government finally agreeing to allow it at Aligarh.

It was after this that Rahul decided to travel from Bhatta Parsaul to Aligarh on foot to interact with villagers about land acquisition issues and to urge them come for the rally in Aligarh.

The rally on Saturday would be keenly watched notonly by Congress leaders for the Rahul Gandhi effect in drumming up support in the farming community but also by rivals including Mayawati for gauging the public mood.

Mayawati attacks Rahul Gandhi for not eating in Dalit's home
Indo-Asian News Service
Lucknow, July 08, 2011
First Published: 22:12 IST(8/7/2011)
Last Updated: 22:17 IST(8/7/2011)

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AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi speaks to villagers during the fourth day of his......

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Friday trained her guns at Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for allegedly refusing to have a meal in a Dalit's home, where he spent Thursday night, during the course of his four-daypadyatra in the state's western parts. Terming the

2G scam: Finance Ministry went along with A Raja, DEA tells JPC

NEW DELHI: The Finance Ministry resisted A Raja's decision not to auction the 2G spectrum, but eventually went along Telecom Ministry's views, a presentation by the Department of Economic Affairs before the Joint Parliamentary Committee probing the scandal said on Thursday.

In what might exacerbate the perceived rift between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his predecessor, Home Minister P Chidambaram, DEA said that the note Chidambaram sent to the Prime Minister days after the 2008 spectrum allocation recommended that spectrum allocations made in the past be "treated as a closed chapter." That suggestion was in contrast with efforts made by the ministry in the preceding months to secure greater revenues for the exchequer from spectrum allocation.

"A note was sent by the then Finance Minister to the Prime Minister on January 15, 2008, on the basis of the additional secretary's note and concept paper. An auction-based mechanism was recommended for future allocation of spectrum (beyond the 'start up' spectrum) with the spectrum allocations having been made in the past to be treated as a closed chapter," the DEA presentation said.

This note was the source of the sharp criticism against Chidambaram by Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi's report. In its draft report, PAC said it considered it, "most unfortunate that the Finance Minister, the guardian of public exchequer and entrusted with principal task of mobilisation of resources, pleaded for treating the matter as closed instead of initiating stringent and swift action against those responsible for huge losses to the exchequer."

Chidambaram had responded then saying it was a distortion of his note and his recommendation was for spectrum usage charges and not for the entry fee. The Prime Minister has maintained that he has acted on the basis of the advice of his ministers. In a series of letters in mid-2007, the Finance Ministry had asked the Department of Telecom to include the issue of spectrum pricing within the ambit of the group of ministers.

DoT opposed this, saying spectrum pricing is within the normal scope of work carried out by that ministry. The Finance Secretary had brought this issue to the notice of the Cabinet Secretary as well. After several back and forths, in June 2007, DoT argued that spectrum pricing and charges for the use of spectrum was a dynamic issue and must be reviewed and considered from time to time in the context of the changing technology and international practices in consultation with the telecom regulator. "Thereafter, DEA did not take up the issue, either with DoT or with the Cabinet Secretariat," DEA says in the presentation.
30 APR, 2011, 02.59AM IST,ET BUREAU

2G scam: Chidambaram rebuts charges made in PAC report

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday rebutted charges made in the PAC draft report that he had suggested to the Prime Minister to treat the issue of the sale of 2G spectrum "as closed".

At a press conference on Friday, the Home Minister pointed out that his note to the Prime Minister dated 15.1.2008 specifically dealt with spectrum usage charges and not with the entry fee, the crux of the 2G spectrum allocation controversy. Terming PAC chairman M M Joshi's report as a gross distortion of the said note, Chidambaram also raised questions over the report's omission of his suggestion regarding charging the licencees prospectively.

"...Joshi's draft report mischievously commented that I had pleaded with the Prime Minister to treat that matter as closed. The draft report did not say what the 'matter' was," the Home Minister told a press conference here while releasing the MHA's report-card for April 2011.

Arguing that even a person with "average intelligence" would have noticed that the letter dated 15.1.2008 dealt with spectrum usage charges alone, Chidambaram noted that the PAC draft report had also overlooked the three measures suggested by him for raising revenue, including a measure to raise additional revenue from licencees who held spectrum over and above the start up spectrum by charging, prospectively, the price discovered in the auction.

"I am constrained to observe that even a person with average intelligence would have noticed that the note did not deal with entry fee at all; in fact it said so," Chidambaram said, citing Paragraph 9 of the note.

According to him, the note, which traced the history of licences issued since 1994, had pointed out three separate elements of entry fee, charges for spectrum and revenue share (also called licence fee).

"You are aware that the controversy and the allegations are about the first element, namely, 'entry fee', and whether new licences should have been granted on 10.1.2008 at the old entry fee of 1,651 crore," the Home Minister pointed out on Friday, adding that the note dealt neither with the entry fee nor with revenue share.

Chidambaram recalled that Paragraphs 11, 12 and 13 of the note dealing with spectrum charges had made three specific suggestions for raising additional revenue, something which concerned him as the then finance minister. The suggestions included discovering the price for additional spectrum through auction and, once such a price was discovered, allocating additional spectrum to all bidders at that price.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/2G-scam-Chidambaram-rebuts-charges-made-in-PAC-report/articleshow/8122364.cms

28 APR, 2011, 09.49AM IST,TNN

Public Accounts Committee to P Chidambaram: Explain inaction

NEW DELHI: The Public Accounts Committee's draft report questioned the role of the finance ministry, including then finance minister P Chidambaram and secretary D Subbarao , in the spectrum scam and demanded an explanation from the duo.

The report, which is yet to be finalized , has taken a strong view of Chidambaram's letter to PM Manmohan Singh a week after the telecom department controversially issued licences and spectrum.

"The committee is shocked and dismayed to note that the finance minister, in his note dated 15 January 2008, acknowledged that spectrum is a scare resource and the price of spectrum should be based on its scarcity value and efficiency of usage but made a unique and condescending suggestion that the matter be treated as closed," it said.

This is one part of the report the PMO would not be unhappy with. Confirming the PM's assertion, it said the finance ministry and the department of telecommunications held four meetings between January 15, 2008 and June 12, 2008 on spectrum pricing.

In July they told the PM that spectrum usage charges for 2G would be raised and also discussed the pricing mechanism for 2G allocation and the allocation mechanism for 3G spectrum. "The point remains to be answered as to what preceded January 10, 2008 (when licences were issued) and reasons for everyone remaining mute spectators till the damage was done," the committee said. Sources close to Chidambaram were livid at the Tamil Nadu MP not being given a chance to be heard by PAC .

"If he should be criticized, he should have been called or issued a questionnaire," one of them said. Apart from Chidambaram, the committee is severely critical of Subbarao's role, including not raising the issue of spectrum pricing with the minister or the cabinet secretary. Listing out the lapses, the report says that Subbarao - now RBI governor - did not even respond to a letter from cabinet secretary in May 2007. The letter, also sent to the telecom secretary, dealt with including spectrum pricing within the terms of reference of the GoM.

Raja's predecessor and party colleague Dayanidhi Maran had got the government to change the terms of reference and keep pricing and finance ministry out of loop on the matter. Subbarao did not respond to a letter from the telecom secretary in November. Though a director in the ministry wrote a note, the file was returned without any signatures. The rap could not have come at a worse time since Subbarao's term is to end in September and he is in line to get a two-year extension.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Public-Accounts-Committee-to-P-Chidambaram-Explain-inaction/articleshow/8105269.cms

27 APR, 2011, 01.59AM IST, RAJEEV DESHPANDE,TNN

PM recieved note warning that Raja planned to ignore 2G advice

Telecom minister A Raja bent rules to distribute telecom licences and 2G spectrum allegedly in exchange of bribes could not have surprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh .

An internal note warned Singh that the telecom ministry under Raja intended to ignore advice to refer allocation of 2G spectrum to an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) and that such a course of action violated rules of government business.

The note, put up to the PM in November 2007 in the wake of rising concern over Raja's bid to ram through the 'first-come, first-served' policy, clearly said that differences between law and telecom ministries over the need for wider consultations should be resolved by the Cabinet.

The PM did ask his office to examine issues, but despite the pitfalls in Raja's interpretation of his policy domain, the DMK leader not only pushed ahead with his controversial implementation of his preferred policy but also managed to subvert the cabinet system in the process.

If these revelations contained in PMO and Cabinet Secretariat's communication with the Public Accounts Committee find reflection in the committee's report likely to be submitted this week, it will set off fresh confrontation between the government and opposition. The PAC, headed by BJP leader M M Joshi, is expected to refer to systemic failures in the 2G episode.

The PMO assessment followed Singh himself asking his office for a note on "whether the action proposed to be taken by the (telecom) ministry is correct or not; whether it is justified in doing what it plans to do." Raja had insisted in a November 2, 2007 letter to the PM that the EGoM route was "totally out of context''.

Significantly, the PMO is not clear on whether it should have stopped Raja from having his way. Responding to criticism that it failed to ensure his adherence to the 2003 Cabinet decision that pricing of airwaves be jointly decided by telecom and finance ministries, the PMO told the PAC, "Not giving effect to a Cabinet decision is tantamount to varying or reversing the samea¦ it is incumbent on the department to bring it before the Cabinet."

However, it did not agree that PMO was mandated to ensure the former telecom minister played by rules. "There is no specific requirement for PMO to enforce cabinet decisions nor is this the general practice," PMO told the committee.

With regard to then finance minister P Chidambaram's January 15, 2008 letter on the need to review telecom ministry's decision to price spectrum, the PMO said: "Prime Minister saw the finance minister's note. No action was formally taken by PMO on the note." It also said that Chidambaram's objections seem to have been resolved by July 2008.The response is in sync with the PM's assertion that in the final analysis finance ministry agreed with Raja's stand that spectrum need not be auctioned.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/PM-recieved-note-warning-that-Raja-planned-to-ignore-2G-advice/articleshow/8095186.cms

320 mn people in India, China to come out of poverty by'15: UN
UNITED NATIONS/NEW DELHI: As many as 320 million people in India and China are expected to come out of extreme poverty in the next four years, while India's poverty rate is projected to drop to 22 per cent, says a UN report.

The UN Millennium Development Goals Report, however, suggested that even though progress has been made in reducing poverty, Southern Asia continues to lag in terms of nutrition, sanitation and gender equality.

"In Southern Asia, however, only India, where the poverty rate is projected to fall from 51 per cent in 1990 to about 22 per cent in 2015, is on track to cut poverty in half by the 2015 target date," the report said.

Those living on less than USD 1.25 a day are considered poor.

Talking to reporters in New Delhi today, UN World Food Programme's Representative and Country Director Mihoko Tamamura said, "Despite impressive economic growth in India in the last few years, inequalities persist among people based on class, gender and cast."

"If India does not meet Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the world will not...," she noted.

According to the report, China and India combined, the number of people living in extreme poverty between 1990 and 2005 declined by about 455 million, and additional 320 million people are expected to come out poverty by 2015.

By 2015, it is expected that global poverty rate will fall below 15 per cent, well under 23 per cent target.

Noting that most vulnerable sections of the society were being left out, the report said that the poorest children have made the least progress towards improved nutrition.

Releasing the report in New Delhi today, noted economist Jayati Ghosh said that India can achieve MDG goals provided there is political will and a new strategy for policies.

"There is also a requirement to rapidly expand our public investment for achieving MDG goals," she said.

Regarding employment scenario, the report noted that economic recovery has not created enough job opportunities, especially in Southern Asia.

"The recent data by NSS (National Sample Survey) has substantiated this point that economic recovery did not cover employment. While output has recovered, employment has not...," Ghosh said.

Millennium Development Goals include eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary and promoting gender equality, by 2015.

"Real progress has been made but by bypassing the most poor and vulnerable groups... Poverty reduction does not get translated into hunger reduction," Tamamura said.
Cannot record minutes of all meetings with ministers: Pranab
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday sought to clear the air over non-recording of minutes of a meeting between his predecessor P. Chidambaram and former Telecom Minister A. Raja in regard to 2G spectrum allocation saying it is not possible to record minutes of all the meetings between ministers and there was no need for it.
"I am seeing in the newspapers and in the media that meeting between Mr. Chidambaram and Mr. Raja ... minutes were not recorded... Every day some minister come and it is not possible to keep their record of the meeting or the minutes of the meeting because there is no need", he told reporters.
As Finance Minister, he said, one is required to meet ministers on almost daily basis.
Mr. Mukherjee said this while responding to the reports that Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) in the Finance Ministry did not have minutes of meetings between jailed former telecom minister Raja and then finance minister Chidambaram on May 29, 2008 relating to consultations with regard to pricing issue.

The Decline & Stall of the Congress Empire

Scams, controversies paralyse UPA's decision-making process

The issue came up during a presentation by the DEA to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which is probing the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Dhiraj Nayyar and Priya Sahgal Edition: July 11, 2011

UTILITIES
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Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi with UPA allies.

I am not a lame duck prime minister," said Manmohan Singh in his meeting with a group of editors on June 29. Any prime minister who has to stress that he is not lame cannot be very healthy. In any case, Manmohan is presiding over a limping government crippled by allegations of corruption and paralysed by infighting, between party and Government and between ministers in the Cabinet. This is a dramatic and drastic fall from the summer of 2009, when the Congress stunned opponents and astonished friends by picking up 206 seats. The party dreamt of attaining the magic number of 272 five years on. But the Congress has squandered its mandate. The crisis in the Government is so acute that the Prime Minister who has rarely spoken in public in the last six months-making him the butt of numerous jokes-announced on June 28 that he would meet the press frequently, possibly every week. It may, however, be too late for mere words of assurance to bring the Government out of its coma.

INFLATION RISES, GOVERNANCE STALLS
Nowhere is Government paralysis more visible than in the mismanagement of inflation. The Government has seemed short on ideas. In January, the Prime Minister set up an inter-ministerial group on inflation to examine all aspects of the problem and suggest remedies. An inter-ministerial group is effectively a third-tier body, ranking below the Cabinet Committee on Prices and the Committee of Secretaries. To match its relatively low place in the hierarchy, it is chaired by the relatively lightweight (in administrative terms) Chief Economic Adviser Kaushik Basu. While some of the members of the committee are secretaries of important departments such as the Planning Commission, agriculture ministry, food ministry and commerce ministry, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is only represented by an official of the rank of joint secretary.
The group has met once a month on average over the last six months. According to sources, all it has done is talk. At one meeting, Future Group Chairman Kishore Biyani was invited to pitch for multi-brand retail as a means to combat food inflation. At another, RBI Governor D. Subbarao was blunt in his assessment that inflation would continue to rise until October.
The inter-ministerial group issued two suggestions on food inflation in June: first, to allow FDI in multi-brand retail to bridge the enormous gap between farm-gate prices and retail prices by eliminating the large number of intermediaries and their respective commissions in the supply chain; second, to amend the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act which in its current form hobbles competition in wholesale trade. Neither of these suggestions is novel. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Budget speech in February 2011 had suggested the need to amend the APMC Act. Mukherjee's Economic Survey in 2009 had made a strong pitch for FDI in retail.
The inter-ministerial group has spent six months reinventing the wheel. Says a member, "Surely, the Government did not expect us to tell them what they didn't already know." The two suggestions made by the Basu-led group will now go to the Committee of Secretaries which will deliberate on them before sending it to the Cabinet Committee on Prices. The Cabinet Committee may then choose to refer the suggestions to the full Cabinet. All that will take many more weeks at the very least. As for inflation, it has gone up from 8 per cent to 10 per cent.

A Congress working committee meeting at 10, Janpath.

ROTTEN POLITICS, ROTTING GRAIN
The Government's economic mismanagement has spilled over to take a toll on a constituency that helped reelect the Congress-the farmers. By January, the Government was aware that it would be a bumper wheat crop this year. Yet, it failed to lift a ban on wheat exports. According to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Government has, as of June, a stock of 65 million tonnes of wheat while it has a storage capacity of just 62 million tonnes. Of that, only 57 million tonnes can be stored in covered areas. The monsoon has set in over much of the country and eight million tonnes of stored, uncovered wheat will almost certainly rot. The Government has invested little in increasing FCI's storage capacity.
The Government's view on wheat exports is sharply divided. For almost six months, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma have been arguing in favour of allowing wheat exports at the EGoM headed by Pranab Mukherjee. Their arguments are twofold: prevent unnecessary waste and allow the farmers to get a better price by selling abroad. The finance minister, as chairman of the EGoM, has been reluctant to yield ground fearing an impact on inflation if exports are allowed. Incidentally, the contribution of cereals, still available in abundant quantities, to food inflation is minimal. The prices of vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs and milk are rising the fastest because of acute supply shortages. Mukherjee has an ally in Food Minister K.V. Thomas, who is against allowing exports. He fears that there may not be enough grain to supply the people covered under the proposed Food Security Act. Eager to please National Advisory Council Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Thomas seems to have forgotten that the Food Security Bill is not even close to being passed by Parliament. Says a senior official, "We can't hold this crop until the Food Security Bill is eventually passed. By then a lot of it will be destroyed." Last week, Thomas indicated that he may be willing to allow 'some' exports.

P.Chidambaram (left) and Pranab Mukherjee.

POWER STRUGGLES, POWER CUTS
Manmohan Singh made energy security one of the central issues of his Government. He even pushed the Indo-US nuclear deal against stiff opposition, and to the peril of his Government, to achieve this end. However, little action has been taken by his Government to actually ramp up power generation. On the contrary, squabbling ministers have ensured that the country is unable to fully generate even the current installed capacity. Sixty per cent of India's power needs are met through coal-based thermal power generation. The country is suffering from an acute shortage of coal and severe power cuts. The current shortage of coal is 100 million tonnes, expected to double in the next five years. With additional mining, the shortage can be bridged locally.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh's decision to designate large tracts of forest land, which are estimated to hold coal reserves of more than 600 million tones, as no-go areas for mining has put a spanner in the works. His decision is being bitterly opposed by Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and Power Minister Sushil Shinde. Says a senior bureaucrat, "We can find middle ground, but Ramesh thinks he's king and Jaiswal has dug into his corner. Shinde only intervenes intermittently. The prime minister is absent."
The issue was referred to a 12-member GoM under the chairmanship of Mukherjee in January 2011. Six months later, on June 9, the GoM, unable to reach any consensus, chose to adopt the prime minister's preferred formula for delay: an expert committee to further advise the GoM. The committee is to be headed by member, Planning Commission, B.K. Chaturvedi and will have the environment secretary, coal secretary, power secretary and finance secretary as members. The committee has been given six weeks to submit its report. Officials are not optimistic about a decision.
JAIL WITHOUT BAIL, PASS THE BUCK
Ministers have begun to increasingly lean on their bureaucrats to take major decisions. The bureaucracy is in no mood to step up to the task. The Government's desperate and clumsy attempts to cleanse the stain of corruption are making bureaucrats nervous. Officials fear a witch-hunt.
Says an official, "Even a bona fide decision can be subject to investigation by the CVC, CAG or CBI. We have already heard of cases of the CBI questioning some public sector undertaking chiefs." Another major worry is the prospect of being sent to prison with no chance of securing bail even when not guilty of any offence. Many bureaucrats are particularly concerned about the treatment being meted out to their former colleague, Siddharth Behura, who has been incarcerated in Delhi's Tihar Jail for two months now. Says another official, "It's better not to take any decision. Just refer it to somebody higher up in the hierarchy." The buck stops somewhere. At this point, few in the bureaucracy want it to stop at their desk. Who pays for the absence of governance? The common man.

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DELAYED DECISIONS, SHAKY INVESTORS
Investors, both domestic and foreign, are jittery over the Government's indecision. The inordinate delay in giving approval to the highprofile $9.6-billion takeover of Cairn India has sent a bad signal. The deal has been stalled since September 2010. In the last week of May, a GoM headed by Mukherjee reportedly agreed to grant approval to the Cairn-Vedanta deal without setting the kind of difficult and, according to some, unfair pre-conditions that former petroleum minister Murli Deora had wanted imposed. The findings of the GoM were sent to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for a final decision. At the end of the GoM meeting, Petroleum Minister S. Jaipal Reddy said that he expected the CCEA to announce a decision in two weeks. Four weeks later, at the time of writing, the fate of the Cairn-Vedanta deal remains uncertain.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, foreign direct investment in the first six months of the year is just one-third the amount received in the first six months of 2010. Incredibly, Pakistan has received more money from foreign institutional investors than India has in the last six months. India's stock markets, in the first half of the year, are the worst performing among the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations. Economic growth for the January-March quarter in 2011 was marginally below 8 per cent. A Business Confidence Survey conducted by our sister magazine, Business Today, with market research agency Cfore (forthcoming issue July 6) shows a sharp decline in business confidence in the April-June quarter compared with the quarter between January and March. A weak macroeconomy characterised by high inflation and stalling growth rates is clearly worrying businesspersons. The "certainty" of 8 per cent growth, UPA's proudest achievement, is under threat.
Says a senior bureaucrat, summing up the state of policymaking in the Government, "The situation is like India batting at 35 for 9 in a cricket match. We just hope that someone puts us out of our misery quickly. We want to see a new team walk in to bat."
SABOTAGE MANMOHAN SINGH, PROP UP RAHUL GANDHI
The biggest opposition to the prime minister is not from the BJP or the Left but from powerful leaders of his own party who want him replaced by Rahul Gandhi. Said Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh, "I would very much like to see Rahul Gandhi become prime minister." According to a Congress Cabinet minister, a PMO official took up this matter with Sonia's political secretary, Ahmed Patel. Digivijaya soon issued a clarification saying that what he meant was, "I would have liked to see Rahul Gandhi becoming prime minister during my lifetime. I have no intention of undermining Manmohan Singh's authority as prime minister." The mea culpa had a perfunctory ring to it. At around the same time, party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan, speaking in a television debate, referred to Manmohan's prime ministership as an "experiment". She quickly retracted saying it was a slip.
The medium can sometimes be more important than the message. Digvijaya is not a mere general secretary, but a key aide of Sonia and Rahul. When he speaks, his colleagues take it as the voice of 'The Family'. This is not the first time Manmohan's credibility has been undermined by his colleagues. During the 2G scam, even as the prime minister stated that he had no hesitation in appearing before a JPC, Congressmen initiated a whisper campaign that this was not the case. The media was inundated with "unsourced" theories about how Manmohan was scarred by an earlier JPC appearance during the Harshad Mehta securities scam as the then finance minister, and did not want a repeat. Similarly, during the botched P.J. Thomas affair, the party quickly distanced itself, claiming that this was purely a government decision. In the absence of strong leadership, discipline in the Cabinet has collapsed. Two senior ministers in Manmohan's Cabinet are engaged in a no-holds-barred battle of oneupmanship. The raison d'etre for their rivalry: both want Manmohan's job. In his meeting with editors, the prime minister dismissed talk of any personal rift between his two most senior ministers. But the adhesive incident has stuck. Yet, no one has demanded an enquiry or investigation. Then, there is the fable of the 'neverready' Rahul. Leave aside prime ministership, the Congress party's heir apparent has let it be known that he is not even interested in joining the Cabinet. In fact, when he is not trekking in Leh, holidaying in Kodagu or travelling to Europe and Dubai, he parachutes in and out of Uttar Pradesh. Those who claim to know him say that his focus is reviving the party in Uttar Pradesh. The rest of India will just have to wait.
In the meantime, Manmohan is a prime minister in limbo. Six months ago, he promised a radical Cabinet reshuffle. There was nothing radical about the few changes he made. Privately, he says he wants to weed out non-performers such as Veerappa Moily, S.M. Krishna, Vilasrao Deshmukh, C.P. Joshi, Kantilal Bhuria, B.K. Handique, Murli Deora and S. Jaipal Reddy. But will he be allowed the reshuffle he wants? It's Lutyens Delhi's worst kept secret that a Cabinet reshuffle is decided by Manmohan, Sonia, Ahmed Patel and Rahul. Of these, the prime minister's voice carries the least weight.
An uncertain prime minister has postponed the monsoon session of Parliament by two weeks, an unprecedented move. When Parliament does convene, he will find it difficult to push through legislation. There is still no agreement on the Lokpal Bill between the representatives of the Government and civil society after a series of meetings. Anna Hazare has threatened another fast, beginning August 16. But Hazare may not be the Government's most serious problem in civil society. That particular thorn in the Government's flesh comes in the form of the Sonia-headed National Advisory Council (NAC). Most of the UPA's key legislations-most importantly the long-pending Food Security Act-are stuck because of differences in opinion between the Government and the NAC (see Bill of Wrongs), or because of opposition from allies, as in the case of the Land Acquisition Bill (strongly opposed by Mamata Banerjee). The prognosis for governance in the near term looks bleak. This is already having serious political consequences for the Congress. The collapse of its vote in Tamil Nadu, and its drop from 2009 levels in Kerala in the recent Assembly elections are clear omens.

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CRUMBLING FORTRESS, IMMINENT DECLINE
The road from 206 seats in 2009 to 272 that the Congress hoped to attain in 2014 has never looked more distant. The Congress has weakened in its fortresses. In the three states which gave the Congress a big chunk of 58 seats, the party is in complete disarray. These are: Andhra Pradesh (where the Congress got 33 of 48 seats), Maharashtra (17 of 46) and Tamil Nadu (eight of 39).
The Congress lost Andhra Pradesh the minute Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced that "the process of separation of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh will be initiated soon". That was on the midnight of December 9, 2009. Since then, the party has been trying to extricate itself out of a promise it can't keep. Add to this the fact that the most popular leader in the state is not the Congress Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy but a party rebel, Jaganmohan Reddy. The legacy and popularity of the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who delivered the state to the Congress twice, in 2004 and 2009, has moved on to his son Jagan. In Maharashtra, governance is at a standstill even as Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan fights a rebellion instigated by rivals like Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde. The trailer for Tamil Nadu was evident during the recent Assembly polls when the Congress won only five seats out of nearly 300. This is not all. The party has already maximised its positions in its strongholds. For instance, in Delhi, the party won all seven seats, in Uttarakhand all five, in Haryana nine out 10, in Kerala 13 out of 20 (with six additional seats to allies), in Punjab eight out of 13, and Rajasthan 20 out of 25. In some other important states, it is almost certain that the Congress will not improve its tally.
In Uttar Pradesh, the party won 21 seats with a vote share of 18 per cent. Opinion polls conducted in the two years since suggest that the Congress has lost some of its vote share. In Bihar, the party will be lucky to retain its two seats given the huge popularity of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA. In Bengal, Mamata will not part with sufficient seats to let Congress piggyback on her popularity to better its tally of six seats.
The only major states where the Congress can hope to make some gains are Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, but the gains in each case are likely to be in single digits. Even if they do materialise, the gains will be insufficient to wipe out the losses suffered elsewhere. This is the price the Congress will have to pay for political confusion and poor governance.
- With inputs from Rajesh Sharma
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/upa-paralysed-decision-making-process-collapse-in-credibility-and-stall-in-governance/1/143334.html
08/07/2011

Purulia arms drop: India to go on diplomatic offensive

Danish court decision on Davy can encourage terrorists, says India

New Delhi: Sending a strong message to Denmark, India on Friday said Danish High Court's refusal to allow extradition of Purulia arms drop case accused Kim Davy has "grave and far-reaching" implications and can only serve as an encouragement to terrorists and criminals.
The External Affairs Ministry while expressing its great disappointment over the Court verdict also said India's demand that Davy be handed over by Denmark stands and he must stand trial in this country for his actions.
"In our view, the judgement has grave and far-reaching implications and can only serve as an encouragement to terrorists and criminals," spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry Vishnu Prakash said in response to a query.
"We have been greatly disappointed on being informed that the Danish authorities cannot comply with India's request for the extradition of Neils Holck @ Kim Davy to India to stand trial," he said.
Noting that Danish government had decided on April 9, 2010, to extradite Kim Davy to India, he said "but the Danish authorities failed to successfully defend their decision in the Danish courts and it is regrettable that they have decided not to appeal the High Court judgement in the Supreme Court."
"Completely rejecting" the grounds cited by the Danish court as the basis for its decision, he said "Our demand for the extradition of Kim Davy to India stands. He must face the law in India for his actions."
Government sources meanwhile emphasised that Danish authorities must ensure that "terrorists and gunrunners do not find easy safe haven" in their country and made it clear that the relations and interactions between the two countries will always be based on the strict principle of reciprocity.
"Conditionalities insisted upon by the Danes will apply in respect of any request received by us from them in the similar manner," they said.

India to go on the offensive
The Government may make a fresh diplomatic move with Denmark after it refused to file an appeal in its Supreme Court for the extradition of Kim Davy, an accused in the Purulia arms drop case, to India.
The CBI is also mulling other options to bring Davy to trial, including through video conferencing, after weighing other legal options.
Jorgen Steen Sorensen, Denmark's Director, Prosecution, also acknowledged that a case against Davy has been made.
"...both the District Court and the High Court agreed for example, that the evidentiary basis for extradition is sufficient, that the double criminality requirement of the Extradition Act is satisfied and that the case is not time barred," Mr. Sorensen said in a statement on Thursday night.
In a separate statement, the Danish Foreign Ministry asked India to "appreciate" the Danish judiciary.
Official sources here said a diplomatic contact with the Danish Government was necessary to impress upon the fact that Davy alias Niels Holck had admitted before a Danish court about his involvement in the Purulia arms drop case.
The sources said post-9/11 attacks, Denmark had amended its Constitution thereby agreeing to extradite any person involved in any act of terror. The arms dropping was aimed at fomenting terror activities mainly in Purulia in West Bengal, they said.
India's hopes of extraditing Davy were dashed last night when the Director of Public Prosecutions said that the Prosecution Service will not to seek permission to bring the question of extradition of Davy to India before the Supreme Court.
Sorensen said he fully understands the attention which this case has attracted in Denmark as well as in India.
Sorensen said: "The Eastern High Court has, without any dissent, however, reached the same conclusion as the District Court and the High Court's ruling is based on a specific assessment of all the circumstances of the case, including the current conditions in India.
"Against this background I do not find that the questions involved in this case are of a nature that will justify an application for permission to bring it before the Supreme Court."
In April 2010, the Danish Ministry of Justice had decided that Davy had to be extradited to India for prosecution for offences committed in 1995, involving an arms drop and participation in a conspiracy to wage war against the country.
This decision was brought before the District Court of Hillerod according to the rules of the Extradition Act. In November 2010, the District Court ruled that this decision could not be upheld. On June 30, 2011, the Eastern High Court affirmed the District Court's decision.
Both the courts, while rejecting that plea, had said, however, on the basis of a specific assessment of the conditions under which Davy may be expected to be detained after prospective extradition to India, that there is a real risk that he will be exposed to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in India.

India had lodged a strong protest with Denmark over the remarks made by the Danish court and the External Affairs Ministry summoned the Charge d'Affaires on Monday and conveyed in no uncertain terms that such remarks about India's human rights records and prison conditions were unacceptable.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram also termed the Danish High Court's observation as "disappointing" and rejected the argument that prisoners are subjected to torture here.
However, in the statement, the Danish Foreign Ministry asked India to respect the verdict of Danish courts.
The statement said the Danish Minister of Justice decided that Niels Holck (Davy) could be extradited to India for the purpose of prosecution. This decision has subsequently been brought to the Danish Courts.
"On June 30, 2011 the High Court of Eastern Denmark confirmed the decision of November one, 2010 by the Danish District Court of Hillerod overruling the Danish government's decision to extradite Niels Holck.
"The Danish Government respects the decision of the independent Danish Judiciary. The independence of the Judiciary is a fundamental principle of a democracy based on the rule of law, and it is the Government's hope that a democracy like India appreciates this.
"On behalf of the Danish Government the Foreign Minister expresses her aspiration that India and Denmark may continue to strengthen the close bilateral relationship to mutual benefit," the Danish Foreign Ministry statement said.
Indian authorities had assured the Danish Justice Ministry that Davy would not be given death penalty and if found guilty he would be allowed to serve sentence term in a Denmark prison.
The Danish High Court had rejected the assurances given by Indian government that no harm will befall Davy once he is in custody in India.
India's failure to ratify the United Nations Torture Convention, alleged degrading treatment in jails and alleged widespread human rights violations were the reasons cited by the Danish High Court.
Chidambaram recently went a step ahead and assured that if Davy was extradited, he would be tried in an open court and would be produced before court every day.
"He will have consular access. He can always tell the judge that he needs to be medically examined and if there is any violation of human rights, he can always complain the next morning when he is brought to the court," he had said.
CBI had registered a case on December 28, 1995, after sophisticated arms, including AK-47 assault rifles, anti-tank grenades and other weapons were dropped from a foreign plane on the fields of Purulia in West Bengal on the night of December 17, 1995.
An Interpol Red Corner Notice was issued against Davy in 1996 on the request of the agency. Since he was traced in in 2001, efforts continued to extradite him to India even though there was no extradition treaty with Denmark.
Source: PTI

08/07/2011

Now, Jaipal Reddy presses for creation of Telangana

New Delhi: Petroleum Minister and senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh S. Jaipal Reddy on Friday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and is understood to have pressed for creation of separate Telangana.

Reddy met Dr. Singh in the morning and apprised him of the situation in Hyderabad and nine other districts in the Telangana region in the wake of the statehood demand coming to the centre stage yet again.
Sources said Reddy, who represents Chelvela Lok Sabha seat in Telangana, is believed to have conveyed to the Prime Minister the sentiments of the people of the region that carving out of a separate State appeared to be the only solution.
After the 40-minute meeting, Reddy said he gave complete details of the present situation in the region. The meeting assumes significance as the lawmakers from the region who have resigned to press for the statehood demand have been keeping regular contact with him.
The Telangana statehood demand gained momentum this week after over 100 MLAs and 15 MPs, cutting across party lines, submitted their resignations to respective presiding officers.
They have also ruled out taking back their resignations unless the Centre takes a decision on the issue.
Telangana MPs' resignation under consideration: Speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar said Friday the resignations from 13 Andhra Pradesh MPs over a separate Telangana state were under her consideration and a decision would be taken before parliament's monsoon session.
"I have received 13 resignation letters. These are under my consideration," Meira Kumar said.
The Lok Sabha speaker was addressing a news conference on the eve of the 5th SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians Conference to be held in New Delhi.
Asked if the final decision on the protesting MPs' resignations would be taken before parliament's monsoon session that begins in the first week of August, Meira Kumar said: "I hope so."
However, she said if the MPs wanted to raise the Telangana issue in the Lok Sabha they were "welcome".
"If the MPs want to speak and raise the issue... I always welcome that but not from the well of the house," she said, referring to lawmakers coming down towards the speaker's podium during protests in the house.
As the speaker, Meira Kumar always objects to such protests which ultimately force adjournments of the proceedings.
Source: PTI & IANS
08/07/2011

Govt may seek review of SC order on SIT for black money probe

New Delhi: Government on Friday indicated that it might seek a review of the Supreme Court order constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which includes two former apex court judges, on black money stashed abroad.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Law Minister Veerappa Moily gave the indication when they met reporters separately. "As and when it (decision) will be taken you will come to know...Decision is communicated not the process of decision ", said Mukherjee, when asked specifically whether the government is considering seeking a review of the decision of the Supreme Court.
Moily, who apparently discussed the issue with Mukherjee, told reporters, "government is discussing the Supreme Court order on SIT. It is not a question of review...No decision has been taken".
On July 4, pulling up the government for the 'laggardly pace' in investigations into the issue of black money stashed abroad, the apex court appointed a SIT headed by former Supreme Court judge B P Jeevan Reddy to investigate and monitor steps taken to bring the unaccounted money back home.

Another former apex court judge M B Shah will be Vice Chairman of the 13-member SIT into which Director of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has been inducted.

The court also directed that the High-Level Committee (HLC) constituted by the government to look into the issue of black money would 'forthwith' be a part of the SIT.
Source: PTI

The Evolving India-U.S. Strategic Relationship

A Compendium of Articles and Analyses

Edited by Bipasha Ray

Updated 20 October 2008
(First compiled March 2006)

Overviews

India-U.S. Relations
K. Alan Kronstadt. Congressional Research Service, updated 12 August 2008 (.pdf file).

India's Quest for Continuity in the Face of Change
C. Raja Mohan. The Washington Quarterly, Autumn 2008 (.pdf file).

America's Strategic Opportunity With India
R. Nicholas Burns. Foreign Affairs, November/December 2007.

U.S.-India Links Go Beyond Faltering Nuclear Deal
Peter Wonacott and Eric Bellman. Wall Street Journal, 18 October 2007.

India and its Neighbours: Do Economic Interests Have the Potential to Build Peace?
Charu Lata Hogg. Chatham House, London, October 2007 (.pdf file). (Note pages 2-5).

India at Sixty: Strategic Reflections
Subhash Kapila. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 17 September 2007.

India-U.S. Economic and Trade Relations
Michael F. Martin and K. Alan Kronstadt. Congressional Research Service, 31 August 2007 (.pdf file).

Is India, or Will it Be, a Responsible International Stakeholder?
Xenia Dormandy. The Washington Quarterly, Center for Strategic and International Issues, Washington, DC, Summer 2007.

Dialogue of the Giant Democracies: India and the United States in the 21st Century
Teresita C. Schaffer. Lecture at Bryn Mawr College, 22 March 2007.

Gauging U.S.-Indian Strategic Cooperation
Henry Sokolski, ed. Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, March 2007 (.pdf file).

The New New World Order
Daniel W. Drezner. Foreign Affairs, March/April 2007.

The United States, India, and the World
Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns. Discussion sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 22 February 2007 (audio files).

The Limits of Indo-US Partnership
Rajiv Sikri. Rediff India Abroad, 02 January 2007.

East Meets West
Greg Sheridan. National Interest, 10 November 2006.

Indo-U.S. Strategic Partnership: Are We There Yet?
Lalit Mansingh. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, October 2006 (.pdf file).

The Myth of the New India
Pankaj Mishra. The New York Times, 06 July 2006.

America's New Strategic Partner?
Ashton B. Carter. Foreign Affairs, July/August 2006.

Will India Become a Global Power?
C. Raja Mohan and Gurcharan Das. Council on Foreign Relations, 19 June 2006.

U.S.-India Relations: The Global Partnership
R. Nicholas Burns, Daniel Markey, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, George Perkovich, Ashley J. Tellis and Albert Thibault. Panels sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 16 May 2006. (.mp3 audio files).

The 'Singh Doctrine'
Brig. Arun Sahgal and Parama Sinha Palit. Armed Forces Journal, May 2006.

Prospects for Indo-U.S. Partnership
Anirudh Nair and Rudra Dev. Security Research Review, Bharat Rakshak, India, April 2006.

Current Trends in India-U.S. Relations: Hopes for a Secure Future
Annpurna Nautiyal. Strategic Insights. Center for Contemporary Conflict, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, April 2006 (.pdf file).

Our Friends in New Delhi
David Frum. National Post, Canada, 07 March 2006. Posted on the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research website.

Indo-U.S. Ties After the Bush Visit
Praful Bidwai. Rediff, India, 06 March 2006.

Bush, India and Two Degrees of Separation
Siddharth Varadarajan. The Hindu, India, 03 March 2006. Posted on the author's blog.

Spinning a Web for India
Randeep Ramesh. The Guardian, UK, 03 March 2006.

President Bush's Visit to India (2006) Reviewed
Subhash Kapila. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 03 March 2006.

Unequal Partners?
Amit Baruah. The Hindu, India, 02 March 2006.

U.S.-India Joint Statement during President George W. Bush's Visit to India
White House, 02 March 2006.

Why Bush Blinked
Lloyd I. Rudolph and Susanne Hoeber Rudolph. The Times of India, March 2006.

U.S. Space Aid to India: On a "Glide Path" to ICBM Trouble?
Richard Speier. Arms Control Today, Washington, DC, March 2006.

Public Opinion in India and America
World Public Opinion. Program on International Policy Attitudes, University of Maryland, 26 February 2006.

U.S. and India: Partners, Not Allies
Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar. The Times of India, 26 February 2006.

The President's Passage to India
Matthew Cooper. Time Magazine, 23 February 2006.

The Great Indian Hope Trick
The Economist, 23 February 2006.

Getting India Right
Parag Khanna and C. Raja Mohan. Policy Review, Washington, DC, February/March 2006.

India as a Global Power
Teresita C. Schaffer and Pramit Mitra. Deutsche Bank Research, 16 December 2005. Posted on the Center for Strategic and International Studies website (.pdf file).

Transforming India-U.S. Relations: Building a Strategic Partnership
Shyam Saran. Speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC, 21 December 2005 (.pdf file).

India's Place in the U.S. Strategic Order
Aspects of India's Economy. Research Unit for Political Economy, Mumbai, December 2005.

U.S.-India: Global Partnership: How Significant for American Interests?
Henry J. Hyde. Opening remarks before the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, 16 November 2005 (.pdf file).

The U.S.-India "Global Partnership": How Significant for American Interests?
Ashley J. Tellis. Testimony before the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, 16 November 2005 (.pdf file).

Hearing on 'The U.S.-India 'Global Partnership': How Significant for American Interests?'
Satu P. Limaye. Testimony before the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, 16 November 2005 (.pdf file).

Indo-U.S. Relations: Where Are They Headed?
Ronen Sen. Text of lecture sponsored by the Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, 26 October 2005 (.pdf file).

The U.S. and India: The New Strategic Partnership
R. Nicholas Burns. Speech at the Asia Society, New York, 18 October 2005.

Advancing U.S.-India Economic Relations
David C. Mulford. Speech to the Indian Chamber of Commerce/Indo-American Chamber of Commerce Luncheon, Calcutta, 18 August 2005. Posted on the U.S. State Department website.

The Implications of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership
Lora Saalman. Power and Interest News Report, 05 August 2005.

Tech That, and That: Not Ideology, But a Convergence of Interests is Shaping the New Indo-U.S. Ties
S. Enders Wimbush. Outlook India, New Delhi, 01 August 2005.

India and the United States: Turning A Corner
Teresita Schaffer. South Asia Monitor. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 01 August 2005 (.pdf file).

Partnering the United States: India's Window of Opportunity
Amit Gupta. Security Research Review. Bharat Rakshak, India, August 2005.

India as a New Global Power: An Action Agenda for the United States
Ashley J. Tellis. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC, 14 July 2005 (.pdf file).

America, India and the Outsourcing of Imperial Overreach
Siddharth Varadarajan. The Hindu, India, 13 July 2005. Posted on the author's blog.

U.S.-India Relations: Convergence of Interests
Eric Lorber and Pramit Mitra. South Asia Monitor. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 04 July 2005.

India, The United States' New Ally In Asia
Christophe Jaffrelot. Centre D'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales, France, July 2005. Posted on the Alliance Program website at Columbia University (.pdf file).

U.S. India Relations: Report on AEI'S 2003-04 Roundtable Discussions
Gautam Adhikari. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 22 June 2005.

The India Imperative
Robert D. Blackwill. The National Interest, Washington, DC, Summer 2005. Posted on the U.S.-India Friendship website.

India-U.S. Strategic Partnership: Perceptions, Potential, and Problems
Jaswant Singh. Speech delivered at The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, 31 May 2005 (.pdf file).

Indo-U.S. Relations: Perception and Reality
G. Balachandran. Strategic Analysis. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, April-June 2005 (.pdf file).

The U.S.-India Relationship: Strategic Partnership or Complementary Interests?
Amit Gupta. Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, February 2005 (.pdf file).

Is a Solid and Comprehensive U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Inevitable?
Ram Narayanan. Presentation made to Security and Political Risk Analysis at the India International Center, New Delhi, 17 January 2005. Posted on the U.S.-India Friendship website.

India-U.S. Relations: A Paradigm Shift
Bhabani Mishra. Strategic Analysis. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, January-March 2005 (.pdf file).

U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue
Rollie Lal and Rajesh Rajagopalan. RAND, 2005 (.pdf file).

U.S.-India Relations: Ties That Bind?
Deepa Ollapally. The Sigur Center Asia Papers, George Washington University, 2005 (.pdf file).

India and U.S. Relations ? Ground Realities
Hari Sud. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 24 December 2004.

Mapping the Global Future
Report of the National Intelligence Council's 2020 Project, CIA, December 2004 (.pdf file).

From Estrangement to Engagement: U.S.-India Relations Since May 1998
Strobe Talbott. Text of lecture sponsored by the Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, 13 October 2004 (.pdf file).

Cybersecurity: A Key to U.S.-India Trade
Kenneth I. Juster. Keynote Address at the India-U.S. Information Security Summit, 12 October 2004. Posted on the U.S. State Department website.

U.S. and India: Unequal Allies, Uneasy Partners
Praful Bidwai. Antiwar.com, U.S., 06 October 2004.

U.S.-India Relations: The Making of a Comprehensive Relationship
Robert O. Blake. Speech delivered in Indore, India, 23 August 2004. Posted on the Mt. Holyoke College website.

India and the New American Hegemony
Mira Kamdar. Connecticut Journal of International Law, Spring 2004. Posted on the author's website.

India: The Strategic Partner of USA?
Hari Sud. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 11 June 2003.

From a Strategic to a Comprehensive Relationship
David C. Mulford. The Hindustan Times, India, 06 June 2004. Posted on the Mumbai U.S. Consulate General website.

Off-Key Techno Notes: Indo-U.S. Technology Relations, Despite Go-Aheads From Top, Remain Rudderless
Raja Menon. Outlook India, New Delhi, 19 April 2004.

U.S. Policies in the Post-Cold War Era: An Indian Perspective
Annpurna Nautiyal. Strategic Analysis. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, January-March 2004 (.pdf file).

The Start of a Beautiful Friendship? The United States and India
Sumit Ganguly. World Policy Journal, New York, Spring 2003.

The United States and India: A Transformed Relationship
Richard N. Haass. Remarks to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Hyderabad, 07 January 2003.

A Paradigm Shift Toward South Asia?
C. Raja Mohan. The Washington Quarterly, Winter 2002-03 (.pdf file).

India-U.S. Relations in the Emerging Global Environment
Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Speech at the Asia Society, 22 September 2003.

The Quality and Durability of the U.S.-India Relationship
Rober D. Blackwill. Speech delivered in Kolkata, India, 27 November 2002. Posted on the Mt. Holyoke College website.

Now, Play the India Card
Lloyd Richardson. Policy Review, Hoover Institution, Washington, DC, October 2002.

Positive-Sum Game Accruals in U.S.-India Relations
Anupam Srivastava. Bharat Rakshak Monitor, July-September 2002.

Evolving Strategic Ties Between India and the United States
Anupam Srivastava. Chapter in "India's National Security: Annual Review 2002," edited by Satish Kumar. Posted on the author's website at the University of Georgia, April 2002.

The Indian End of the Telescope: India and its Navy
Gulab Hiranandani. Naval War College Review. U.S. Naval War College, Spring 2002.

Building a New Partnership with India
Teresita C. Schaffer. The Washington Quarterly, Spring 2002 (.pdf file).

South Asian Quagmire: U.S.-India Relations after December 13
Rajesh Kumar Mishra. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 21 December 2001.

Rising India and U.S. Policy Options in Asia
Teresita C. Schaffer and Mandavi Mehta. South Asia Monitor. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 01 December 2001 (.pdf file).

September 11, 2001: Attack on America
Amb. Robert D. Blackwill. Press Conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club, New Delhi, 21 November 2001. Posted on the Yale Law School website.

Attitudes Towards the United States Amongst the Indian Electorate
Alistair McMillan. Posted on the author's website at Nuffield College, Oxford University, November 2001 (.pdf file).

India And The United States: Security Interests
Mandavi Mehta and Teresita C. Schaffer. South Asia Monitor. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 01 June 2001 (.pdf file).

Add Five 'E's To Make a Partnership
Kanti Bajpai. The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2001 (.pdf file).

Reducing Tension is Not Enough
Alexander Evans. The Washington Quarterly, Spring 2001 (.pdf file).

U.S.-India Strategic Relations: Issues Before the New Administration
Gary K. Bertsch and Anupam Srivastava. Bharat Rakshak Monitor, January/February 2001.

India and America: An Emerging Relationship
Stephen P. Cohen. Paper presented to the Conference on The Nation-State System and Transnational Forces in South Asia, Kyoto, Japan, 08-10 December 2000. Posted on The Brookings Institution website.

India Matters
Mohammed Ayoob. The Washington Quarterly, Winter 2000 (.pdf file).

New Directions in Indo-U.S. Relations and New Opportunities in U.S.-South Asia Relations
Bruce Reidel. Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, 21 February and 09 May 2000 (.pdf file).

India-USA Strategic Partnership: The Advent of the Inevitable
Subhash Kapila. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 22 April 2000.

India-U.S. Relations: A Vision for the 21st Century
Joint India-U.S. Statement, during President Bill Clinton's visit to India, 21 March 2000. Posted on the Indian Embassy website.

Indo-U.S. Strategic Dialogue: From Sound Bytes to Sound Decisions
Anupam Srivastava. Bharat Rakshak Monitor, January/February 2000.

U.S. Department of State Deputy Secretary Talbott Address at India International Center
Strobe Talbott. Address at the India International Center, New Delhi, 30 January 1999. Posted on the Mt. Holyoke College website.

Nuclear Issues

The Downside to the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal
Adam B. Kushner. Newsweek, 11 October 2008.

US-India Nuclear Deal Goes Through
Madhur Singh. Time, 02 October 2008.

The U.S.-India Nuclear Deal
Esther Pan and Jayshree Bajoria. Council on Foreign Relations, 02 October 2008.

The Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal: What is There?
Annpurna Nautiyal. Strategic Insights, Center for Contemporary Conflict, September 2008.

The U.S.-India Nuke Deal: U.S. Needs and Ambitions
Dr. Dheeraj Kumar. Strategic Insights, Center for Contemporary Conflict, September 2008.

U.S. Nuclear Cooperation with India: Issues for Congress
Paul K. Kerr. Congressional Research Service, updated 30 July 2008 (.pdf file).

The Costs of a Failed U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Deal
Lisa Curtis. The Heritage Foundation, Washington, DC, 02 November 2007 (.pdf file).

U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation: Better Later than Sooner
Leonard Weiss. Nonproliferation Review, November 2007 (.pdf file).

India at 60: The India-U.S. Nuclear Deal on Hold - Crash, or Course Correction?
South Asia Monitor, Center for Strategic and International Issues, Washington, DC, 26 October 2007 (.pdf file).

'Enemies Of India's Development'
Rajinder Puri. Outlook India, 10 October 2007.

Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal: Where are the Blocks?
Reshmi Kazi and Amit Kumar Singh. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, 02 June 2007.

Lawmakers Decry Iran-India Alliance
Glenn Kessler. Washington Post, 03 May 2007.

Indian Demands Slow U.S.-Indian Nuclear Deal
Wade Boese. Arms Control Today, Washington, DC, May 2007.

New U.S.-India Nuclear Agreement Delayed: Indefinitely?
George Bunn. Lawyers Alliance for World Security, Washington, DC, 18 April 2007.

How Washington Learned to Stop Worrying and Love India's Bomb
Ashton B. Carter. Foreign Affairs, 10 January 2007.

Indo-US Nuclear Deal: Unending Drama in Many Acts
P.R. Chari, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, January 2007 (.pdf file).

India's Nuclear Separation Plan: Issues and Views
Sharon Squassoni. Congressional Research Service, updated 22 December 2006 (.pdf file).

U.S. Nuclear Cooperation with India: Issues for Congress
Sharon Squassoni. Congressional Research Service, updated 22 December 2006 (.pdf file).

U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Current Legislation
Sharon Squassoni. Congressional Research Service, updated 22 December 2006 (.pdf file).

Nuclear Cooperation with India: Storms Ahead
Pramit Mitra and Teresita Schaffer. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 19 December 2006.

Indo-U.S. Nuclear Minuet
B. Raman. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 19 December 2006.

Civilian Nuclear Cooperation With India: Another Step Down a Long Road
Teresita Schaffer. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 17 November 2006.

Nuclear Deterrence: An Indian Perspective
Lt. Gen. V.R. Raghavan. Speech at the Wilton Park Conference on Nuclear Deterrence & NATO, 12-14 October 2006. Posted on the Delhi Policy Group website.

The U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Deal
Arms Control Association Page Resource Page, 24 July 2006.

Letter to Congress
Arms Control Association, 20 June 2006 (.pdf file).

Nuclear Weapons, Energy and Nonproliferation: Pressures on the Global Community
41st Conference on the United Nations of the Next Decade, sponsored by The Stanley Foundation, Sedona, AZ, 16-21 June 2006 (.pdf file).

Betting the Ranch on the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal
Michael Krepon. The Henry L. Stimson Center, Washington, DC, 05 June 2006.

Atoms for War? U.S.-Indian Civilian Nuclear Cooperation and India's Nuclear Arsenal
Ashley J. Tellis. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC, June 2006 (.pdf file).

U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation: A Strategy for Moving Forward
Michael A. Levi and Charles D. Ferguson. Council on Foreign Relations, June 2006 (.pdf file).

Power Points: The U.S.-India Nuclear Agreement is the Wrong Deal with the Wrong Energy Source
Leonard Weiss. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/June 2006.

Testimony of Gary Milhollin
Gary Milhollin. Testimony before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, 26 April 2006.

The U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for the Nuclear Suppliers Group
Summary of conference sponsored by The Stanley Foundation, in New York, 24 April 2006 (.pdf file).

How to Regulate Nuclear Weapons: The U.S. Deal With India Could Be a Good Starting Point
Selig Harrison. Washington Post, 23 April 2006. Posted on the Center for International Policy website.

The U.S.-India Nuclear Deal: Another Wrong Turn in the War on Terror
Michael Krepon. The Henry L. Stimson Center, 29 March 2006.

N-Deal: Boon for India, US, World
K. Subrahmanyam. Rediff, India, 09 March 2006.

A New Nuclear Age
Reuven Pedhatsur. Haaretz, Israel, 08 March 2006.

Implementation of the India-United States Joint Statement of July 18, 2005: India's Separation Plan
Full text as approved by Indian Parliament, 07 March 2006. Posted on the Outlook India website.

The U.S.-India Nuclear Agreement
Mary Beth Nikitin and Jon Wolfsthal. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 03 March 2006.

The President's Indian Fantasy
Fred Kaplan. Slate, 01 March 2006.

Parsing the Separation PLan: The Indo-U.S. Subsidiary Deal
P.R. Chari. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, March 2006 (.pdf file).

The Credibility Question
NewsInsight, New Delhi, 28 February 2006.

Nixon to China, Bush to India
Fareed Zakaria. Newsweek, 27 February 2006.

Separation is Not Rocket Science
G. Balachandran. Indian Express, New Delhi, 27 January 2006. Posted on the South Asia Monitor website.

Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal: Safeguards for Breeder Reactors a Key Obstacle
Siddharth Varadarajan. The Hindu, India, 21 January 2006. Posted on the Global Research website.

India America Nuclear Deal - A Strategic Analysis
Gaurang Bhatt. India Defence, New Delhi, 16 January 2006.

United States-India Civil Nuclear Deal Reviewed
Subhash Kapila. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 10 January 2006.

India's Choice, Congress' Responsibility
Daryl G. Kimball. Arms Control Today, Washington, DC, January/February 2006.

Hard Bargain
NewsInsight, New Delhi, 08 December 2005.

The U.S.-India Nuclear Deal
Robert J. Einhorn. Testimony before the House International Relations Committee, 26 October 2005. Posted on the Center for Strategic and International Studies website (.pdf file).

Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal and Non-Proliferation
Rajesh Kumar Mishra. Strategic Analysis. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, October-December 2005 (.pdf file).

Indo-US Nuclear Agreement and IAEA Safeguards
R. Ramachandran. Strategic Analysis. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, October-December 2005 (.pdf file).

Faulty Promises: The U.S.-India Nuclear Deal
George Perkovich. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC, September 2005 (.pdf file).

India and The New Look of U.S. Nonproliferation Policy
William C. Potter. Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey, CA, 25 August 2005.

The Truth Behind the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal
Siddharth Varadarajan. The Hindu, India, 29 July 2005.

Good Day for India, Bad Day for Non-Proliferation
Strobe Talbott. International Herald Tribune, 21 July 2005. Posted on The Brookings Institution website.

Bush Administration Stokes Dangerous Arms Race on Indian Subcontinent
Stephen Zunes. Foreign Policy in Focus, Silver City, NM and Washington, DC, 20 July 2005.

Joint Statement Between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
White House, 18 July 2005.

India Moves Toward a New Compact with the United States
Praful Bidwai. Foreign Policy in Focus, Silver City, NM and Washington, DC, 14 July 2005.

United States-India Defense Relationship Agreement (June 2005) Analysed
Subhash Kapila. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 06 July 2005.

A Realist Case for Conditioning the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal
George Perkovich. Working paper prepared for a Nonproliferation Policy Education Center seminar, 15 May 2005. Posted on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace website.

New Delhi's Dilemma
Brahma Chellaney. The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2000 (.pdf file).

Dealing with the Bomb in South Asia
Strobe Talbott. Foreign Affairs, March/April 1999. Posted on the Fletcher School website at Tufts University (.pdf file).

Against Nuclear Apartheid
Jaswant Singh. Foreign Affairs, September/October 1998. Posted on the Indian Embassy website.

Issues in U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation
Graphic. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC, Washington, DC.

The U.S.-Indian Nuclear Cooperation Deal
Arms Control Association, Washington, DC.

Security Cooperation

India's Space Program
Vincent G. Sabathier and G. Ryan Faith. Center for Strategic and International Issues, Washington, DC, 25 January 2008 (.pdf file).

Indo-U.S. Defence Co-operation: Full Steam Ahead
Gurmeet Kanwal. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, 25 September 2007.

U.S.-India Maritime Cooperation: A Track-Two Dialogue
Peter Lavoy and Robin Walker. Conference organized by the Center for Contemporary Conflict, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and the National Maritime Foundation, held in New Delhi, 18 September 2007.

Americanization of the Indian Military
Siddharth Srivastava. Asia Times, Hong Kong, 05 June 2007.

US-Indian Relations: A New Agenda for a New Era
Bruce Riedel. Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, 19 April 2007.

U.S.-India Defense Relations: Strategic Perspectives
Vibhuti Haté and Teresita C. Schaffer. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 04 April 2007. Posted on the Commonwealth Institute website (.pdf file).

Science and Technology to Counter Terrorism: Proceedings of an Indo-U.S. Workshop
Roddam Narasimha and Arvind Kumar, eds. National Academy of Sciences, 2007 (.pdf file).

Indo-U.S. Military Cooperation: U.S. Perceptions
L. Venkateshwaran. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, 10 June 2006.

Indo-U.S. Cooperation: Next Step in the Indian Ocean
Amit Kumar. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, 19 May 2006.

U.S.-India Defense Relationship
U.S. Department of Defense fact sheet, March 2006 (.pdf file).

Indo-U.S. Framework for Maritime Security Cooperation
U.S. Department of Defense, March 2006 (.pdf file).

Perils of Three-Way Security Cooperation
Siddharth Varadarajan. The Hindu, India, 14 February 2006. Posted on the author's blog.

Indo-U.S. Joint Military Exercises after 2002 ? a Partial List
Aspects of India's Economy. Research Unit for Political Economy, Mumbai, December 2005.

U.S. Acknowledges India as Regional Force: Pledge to Share Civilian Nuclear Technology Follows Military Cooperation, Indian Navy Growth
James Cetrone. The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, Washington, DC, 04 August 2005.

India-U.S. Defence Pact - II: Commitments May Fetter Judgment
S. Raghavan. The Hindu Business Line, India, 14 July 2005.

Defence Pact with the U.S.: India Entering Risky Territory
Siddharth Varadarajan. The Hindu, India, 01 July 2005. Posted on the author's blog.

New Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship
Signed by Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Washington, DC, 28 June 2005. (Note: Will open as a Word document).

India and the United States: Forging a Security Partnership?
Sumit Ganguly and Andrew Scobell. World Policy Journal, New York, Summer 2005.

Seeking Breakthroughs
Ashley J. Tellis. Force, Noida, India, October 2004. Posted on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace website.

Five Part Series by Josy Joseph. Rediff, India, 21-26 April 2003.

Target Next: Indian Military Bases

U.S. Tech Holds Key to Indian Bases

Of Insults, Obsessions and Distrust: Americans Find Indians All at Sea on Strategy

Drawn Out But Not Ready To Fire: Indians Are Wary of 'Pick-n-Dump' Americans as Partners

Tango's Closer but Shop Talk's Taboo

Spats Apart, Future's Rosy: Americans Are Upbeat About Military Ties With India

The United States, India and Asian Security
Robert D. Blackwill. Presented to the 5th Asia Security Conference sponsored by the Institute for Defense Analyses, New Delhi, 27 January 2003. Posted on the Mt. Holyoke College website.

Joint Statement by India-U.S. Defence Policy Group
U.S. India Defense Policy Group, 2003. Posted on the Mt. Holyoke College website.

Missile Defense and South Asia: An Indian Perspective
Rajesh M. Basrur. Chapter in "The Impact of US Ballistic Missile Defenses on Southern Asia," edited by Michael Krepon and Chris Gagné. Stimson Center, Washington, DC, July 2002 (.pdf file).

Wider Military Ties With India Offer U.S. Diplomatic Leverage
Celia W. Dugger. The New York Times, 10 June 2002. Posted on the Indian Ministry of External Affairs website.

Indo-U.S. Naval Cooperation
G.M. Hiranandani. Bharat Rakshak Monitor, May-June 2002.

Rapid India-U.S. Military Links Stagger Officials
NewsInsight, New Delhi, 02 February 2002.

South Asia Security- Divergence in United States and India's Perceptions: An Analysis
Subhash Kapila. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 22 January 2002.

Pakistan and Kashmir

India, Pakistan and Kashmir: Stabilising a Cold Peace
Asia Briefing #51. International Crisis Group, 15 June 2006 (.pdf file).

Ends and Beginnings
Ajai Sahni. Outlook India, New Delhi, 09 March 2006.

India and Pakistan: On the Heels of President Bush's Visit
R. Nicholas Burns. Remarks to the Heritage Foundation, Washington, DC, 06 March 2006. Posted on the Mt. Holyoke College website.

Balancing U.S. Interests Amidst the India and Pakistan Conflict
Thomas Glardon. Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 18 March 2005 (.pdf file).

What If Pakistan Fails? India Isn't Worried ... Yet
C. Raja Mohan. The Washington Quarterly, Winter 2004-05 (.pdf file).

Dissuasion and Confrontation: U.S. Policy In India-Pakistan Crises
Col. John H. Gill. Strategic Insights. Center for Contemporary Conflict, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, October 2004.

Indo-U.S. Relations: The Pakistan Factor
B. Raman. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 14 May 2004.

India Doubting Its U.S. 'Strategic Partnership'
Sultan Shahin. Asia Times, Hong Kong, 27 March 2004.

The Counterterror Coalitions: Cooperation with Pakistan and India
C. Christine Fair. RAND, 2004 (.pdf file).

Mediating Kashmir: A Bridge Too Far
Satu P. Limaye. The Washington Quarterly, Winter 2002-03 (.pdf file).

Kashmir: Redefining the U.S. Role
Navnita Chadha Behera. Policy Brief #110, Brookings Institution, November 2002.

India's Fine Balance
Dennis Kux. Foreign Affairs, May/June 2002. Posted on the Fletcher School website at Tufts University (.pdf file).

A New Equation: U.S. Policy Toward India and Pakistan After September 11
Lee Feinstein et al. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC, May 2002 (.pdf file).

United States and the Agra Summit
Subhash Kapila. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 10 August 2001.

India and Pakistan: Thinking About the Unthinkable
Paul D. Taylor. Naval War College Review. U.S. Naval War College, Summer 2001.

Moving Forward in South Asia
Stephen P. Cohen. The Brookings Institution, May 2001 (.pdf file).

Reconsidering the U.S. Role
Howard B. Schaffer. The Washington Quarterly, Spring 2001 (.pdf file).

The Piper's Price: India and the U.S. After Kargil
Siddharth Varadarajan. The Times of India, 17 July 1999. Posted on the author's blog.

Regional Issues

China and the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal
Jabin T. Jacob. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, 14 September 2007.

China Looks on at the US-India Lockstep
Siddharth Srivastava. Asia Times, Hong Kong, 30 June 2007.

India and Iran: New Delhi?s Balancing Act
C. Christine Fair. The Washington Quarterly, Center for Strategic and International Issues, Washington, DC, Summer 2007.

Great Power Dynamics: India, U.S. and China
Devyani Srivastava and Priyashree Andley. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, 05 May 2007 (.pdf file).

Asia's Major Powers and U.S. Strategy: Perspectives from India
V.R. Raghavan. Centre for Security Analysis, Chennai, India, 04-05 May 2007. (NOTE: Will open as a Word document).

Will India Be a Better Strategic Partner Than China?
Dan Blumenthal. American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC, 09 April 2007.

India's Expanding Role in Asia: Adapting to Rising Power Status
Lisa Curtis. The Heritage Foundation, Washington, DC, 20 February 2007 (.pdf file).

Strategic Interests Pull Japan and India Together
Chietigj Bajpaee. Power and Interest News Report, 16 February 2007.

U.S. Strategic and Defense Relationships in the Asia-Pacific Region
Bruce Vaughn. Congressional Research Service, 22 January 2007 (.pdf file).

Will India Emerge as an Eastern or Western Power?
Kishore Mahbubani. Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, January 2007 (.pdf file).

Using India To Keep China at Bay
Tim Beal. Foreign Policy in Focus, 12 December 2006.

The United States and the Rise of China and India: Results of a 2006 Multination Survey of Public Opinion
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Asia Society, New York, NY, 11 October 2006 (.pdf file).

India-Iran Relations and U.S. Interests
K. Alan Kronstadt and Kenneth Katzman. Congressional Research Service, 02 August 2006 (.pdf file).

The Regional Implications of the U.S.-India Nuclear Agreement
Shehzad Nadeem. Foreign Policy in Focus, 29 April 2006.

Iran Stirs India-U.S. Waters
Vijay Sakhuja. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, 10 April 2006.

China Responds to the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal
Mohan Malik. China Brief. The Jamestown Foundation, 29 March 2006.

India-U.S. Civilian Nuclear Deal: Impact on Asian Balance of Power
Sameer Suryakant Patil. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, 17 March 2006.

The New Deal: When Bush Comes to Shove
Siddharth Varadarajan. Frontline, India, 11-24 March 2006. Posted on the author's blog.

India-Iran Relations: Changing the Tone?
Pramit Mitra and Vibhuti Hate. South Asia Monitor. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC, 08 March 2006 (.pdf file).

Uncharted Waters
Pratap Bhanu Mehta. Outlook India, New Delhi, 07 March 2006.

In Deal with India, Bush Has Eye on China
Paul Richter. Los Angeles Times, 04 March 2006. Posted on the Global Policy Forum website.

Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal: The China Factor
Jabin T. Jacob. Insitute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, March 2006 (.pdf file).

India in the Indian Ocean
Donald L. Berlin. Naval War College Review. U.S. Naval War College, Spring 2006. Posted on the Bharat Rakshak website (.pdf file).

Indo-U.S. ties: The China factor
Claude Arpi. Rediff, India, 28 February 2006.

The U.S.-India Nuclear Deal, Iran, and India's Future
Harsh V. Pant. ZNet Magazine, Woods Hole, MA, 31 January 2006.

India's Look-East Policy: More Aggressive, Better Dividends
C. S. Kuppuswamy. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 03 January 2006.

India and the Middle East
Stephen Philip Cohen. Testimony before the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, 16 November 2005 (.pdf file).

India's Potential Importance for Vital U.S. Geopolitical Objectives in Asia: A Hedge Against a Rising China?
Francine R. Frankel. Testimony before the Committee on International Relations, U.S. House of Representatives, 16 November 2005 (.pdf file).

India, Iran, and The United States
Conn Hallinan. Foreign Policy in Focus, Silver City, NM and Washington, DC, 19 October 2005.

The United States, China, and India: A Story of Leaders, Partners, and Clients
Zia Mian. Foreign Policy in Focus, Silver City, NM and Washington, DC, 27 September 2005.

Redrawing India's Geostrategic Maps with China and the United States
Lora Saalman. ZNet Magazine. Woods Hole, MA, 22 September 2005.

Natural Allies? Regional Security in Asia and Prospects for Indo-American Strategic Cooperation
Stephen J. Blank. Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, September 2005 (.pdf file).

The U.S., India, and China
Immanuel Wallerstein. Fernand Braudel Center, Binghamton University, 01 August 2005.

What is Driving India's and Pakistan's Interest in Joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Jefferson E. Turner. Strategic Insights. Center for Contemporary Conflict, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, August 2005.

India, China, the U.S. and the Balance of Power in the Indian Ocean
Adam Wolfe, Yevgeny Bendersky, Federico Bordonaro. Japan Focus. Cornell University, 25 July 2005. Posted on the ZNet Magazine, Woods Hole, MA website.

India's International Oil Ties Risk U.S. Displeasure
Pramit Mitra. International Herald Tribune, 07 April 2005. Posted on the Center for Strategic and International Studies website (.pdf file).

The 'Strategic Partnership' Between India and Iran
C. Christine Fair, Jalil Roshandel, Sunil Dasgupta and P.R. Kumaraswamy. Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, April 2005 (.pdf file).

The U.S., India and China
Ram Narayanan. United Press International, 09 February 2005.

U.S. and Iran at Loggerheads: India's Role in Rapprochement
Harsh V. Pant. Security Research Review. Bharat Rakshak, India, October 2004.

New Horizons in United States' Relations with South Asia
Christina Rocca. Center for the Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, July 2004 (.pdf file).

The United States and South Asia: Core Interests and Policies and Their Impact on Regional Countries
Stephen Cohen. Presented at the Conference on Major Powers and South Asia, 11-13 August 2003. Posted on The Brookings Institution website on 01 October 2003.

The China Factor in the India-Pakistan Conflict
Mohan Malik. Parameters, U.S. Army War College, Spring 2003.

Sino-Indian Relations in a New Perspective
Snehalata Panda. Strategic Analysis. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, January-March 2005 (.pdf file).

U.S. Security Policy Toward South Asia After September 11th and Its Implications for China: A Chinese Perspective
Zhang Guihong. Henry L. Stimson Center, January 2003 (.pdf file).

U.S-India Security Relations: Implications for China
Zhang Guihong. Faultlines. Institute for Conflict Management, New Delhi, 2003.

As the US Goes to War against Iraq, It Declares India a Pillar of its Hegemony in Asia
Aspects of India's Economy. Research Unit for Political Economy, Mumbai, December 2002.

The China-India-U.S. Triangle: Strategic Relations in the Post-Cold War Era
John W. Garver. The National Bureau of Asian Research, Seattle, WA, October 2002 (.pdf file).

The India-China Relationship: What the United States Needs To Know
Conference Report. Asia Society and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC, 30 November 2001 (.pdf file).

India Looks East
Laxman B. Bahroo. Bharat Rakshak Monitor, November/December 2000.

Indo-U.S. Relation and the China Factor: Realities and Compulsions
Rajesh Kumar Mishra. South Asia Analysis Group, Noida, India, 25 September 2000.

http://www.comw.org/pda/0603india.html

India – United States relations

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (July 2011)

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Indo-American relations


India	United States

President Barack Obama with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House.

Indo-American relations or India – United States relations refers to international relations between the Republic of India and the United States of America.

Despite being one of the pioneers and founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement, India developed a closer relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. India's strategic and military relations with Moscow and strong socialist policies had an adverse impact on its relations with the United States. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, India began to review its foreign policy in a non-polar world following which, it took steps to develop closer ties with the European Union and the United States. Today, India and the U.S. share an extensive cultural, strategic, military and economic relationship.^[1]^[2]

Long considered a "strategic backwater" from Washington's perspective, India emerged in the 21st century as increasingly vital to core U.S. foreign policy interests. India, the region's dominant actor with more than one billion citizens, is often characterized as a nascent great power and "indispensible partner" of the United States, one that many analysts view as a potential counterweight to China's growing clout. Since 2004, Washington and New Delhi have been pursuing a "strategic partnership" based on shared values and apparently convergent geopolitical interests. Numerous economic, security, and global initiatives, including plans for civilian nuclear cooperation, are underway. This latter initiative, first launched in 2005, reversed three decades of U.S. nonproliferation policy. Also in 2005, the United States and India signed a ten-year defense framework agreement to expanding bilateral security cooperation. The two countries now engage in numerous and unprecedented combined military exercises, and major U.S. arms sales to India are underway. The value of all bilateral trade tripled from 2004 to 2008 and continues to grow; significant two-way investment also flourishes. The influence of a large Indian-American community is reflected in Congress's largest country-specific caucus. More than 100,000 Indian students are attending American universities.

Thus During the tenure of the Clinton and Bush administration, relations between India and the United States blossomed primarily over common concerns regarding growing Islamic extremism, energy security and climate change.^[3]

According to some foreign policy experts, there was a slight downturn in India-U.S. relations following the election of Barack Obama as thePresident of the United States in 2009. This was primarily due to Obama administration's desire to improve relations with China,^[4] and Barack Obama's protectionist views on dealing with the economic crisis.^[5]. However, the leaders of the two countries have repeatedly dismissed these concerns.^[6] This was later proved during a high Profile US President Obama's India Visit. President Obama saw India as prominent Future Power on world stage and declared it as one of the important ally to US. US President Obama openly Supports India's Bid for a permanent Seat in the United Nations Security Council.

[hide]

[edit]Country comparison

	India	United States
Population	1,210,193,422	311,711,000
Area	3,287,240 km² (1,269,210 sq mi)	9,850,476 km2 (3,803,290 sq mi)
Population Density	356/km² (922/sq mi)	31/km² (80/sq mi)
Capital	New Delhi	Washington, D.C.
Largest City	Mumbai – 13,922,125 (21,347,412 Metro)	New York City – 8,363,710 (19,006,798 Metro)
Government	Federal parliamentary constitutional republic	Federal presidential constitutional republic
Official languages	Hindi and English, 21 other constitutionally recognized languages	English (de facto)
Main religions	80.5% Hinduism, 13.4% Islam, 2.3% Christianity, 1.9%Sikhism, 0.8% Buddhism, 0.4% Jainism	76% Christianity, 16.1% non-Religious, 2 % Judaism,1%Buddhism. 0.4% Hinduism
Ethnic groups	See Ethnic Groups of India	74% White American, 14.8% Hispanic and Latino Americans(of any race), 13.4% African American, 6.5% Some other race, 4.4% Asian American, 2.0% Two or more races, 0.68% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.14% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
GDP (nominal)	$1.430 trillion ($1,176 per capita)^[7]	$14.256 trillion ($46,381 per capita)
GDP (PPP)	$4.001 trillion ($3,290 per capita)^[8]	$14.256 trillion ($46,381 per capita)
Indian Americans	60,000 American born people living in India	2,765,815 People of Indian origin living in the USA
Military expenditures	$37.6 billion (FY 2011-12)	$663.7 billion (FY 2010) ^[9]

[edit]History

Swami Vivekananda in Chicago, 1893.

The historic relationship between India and the United States was very strong. One event is the visit of Swami Vivekananda who introduced Yoga and Vedanta to America. Vivekananda was the first known Hindu Sage to come to the West, where he introduced Eastern thought at the World's Parliament of Religions, in connection with the World's Fair in Chicago, in 1893]. Here, his first lecture, which started with this line "Sisters and Brothers of America," [6] made the audience clap for two minutes just to the address, for prior to this seminal speech, the audience was always used to this opening address: "Ladies and Gentlemen". It was this speech that catapulted him to fame by his wide audiences in Chicago and then later everywhere else in America, including far-flung places such as Memphis, Boston, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and St. Louis.

After Indian independence until the end of the cold war, the relationship between the two nations has often been thorny. Dwight Eisenhower was the first U.S. President to visit India in 1959. He was so supportive of India that the New York Times remarked "It did not seem to matter much whether Nehru had actually requested or been given a guarantee that the U.S. would help India to meet further Chinese communist aggression. What mattered was the obvious strengthening of Indian-American friendship to a point where no such guarantee was necessary."

During John F. Kennedy's period as President, he saw India as a strategic partner against the rise of communist China. He said "Chinese Communists have been moving ahead the last 10 years. India has been making some progress, but if India does not succeed with her 450 million people, if she can't make freedom work, then people around the world are going to determine, particularly in the underdeveloped world, that the only way they can develop their resources is through the Communist system." The administration was disturbed by what they considered "blatant Chinese communist aggression against India" after the Sino-Indian War. In a May 1963 National Security Council meeting, contingency planning on the part of the United States in the event of another Chinese attack on India was discussed. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and General Maxwell Taylor advised the president to use nuclear weapons should the Americans intervene in such a situation. Kennedy insisted that Washington defend India as it would any ally, saying, "We should defend India, and therefore we will defend India".^[10]

Kennedy's ambassador was the noted Canadian-American economist John Kenneth Galbraith. While in India, he also helped establish one of the first computer science departments, at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. As an economist he also presided over the largest (to that date) US-Foreign Aid program to any country.

From 1961 to 1963 there was a promise to help set up a large steel mill in Bokaro that was withdrawn by the U.S. The 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars did not help their relations. During the Cold War, the U.S. asked for Pakistan's help because India was seen to lean towards the Soviet Union. Later, when India would not agree to support the anti-Soviet operation in Afghanistan, it was left with few allies. Not until 1997 was there any effort to improve relations with the United States.

Embassy of India in Washington, D.C.

Soon after Atal Bihari Vajpayee became Indian Prime Minister, he authorized a nuclear weapons test in Pokhran

The United States strongly condemned the test and promised sanctions, and voted in favor of aUnited Nations Security Council Resolution condemning it. United States President Bill Clintonimposed economic sanctions on India. These consisted of the cutting off of all military and economic aid, freezing loans by American banks to state-owned Indian companies and loans to the Indian government for all except food purchases, prohibiting American technology and uranium exports, and required the United States to oppose all loan requests by India to international lending agencies.^[11] However, these sanctions proved ineffective. India was experiencing a strong economic rise, and its trade with the United States only constituted a small portion of its GDP. Only Japan joined the U.S. in imposing direct sanctions, while most other nations continued to trade with India. The sanctions were soon lifted. The Clinton administration and Vajpayee exchanged representatives to help build relations. In March 2000, President Bill Clinton visited India. He had bilateral and economic discussions with Prime Minister Vajpayee. Over the course of improved diplomatic relations with the Bush administration, India has agreed to allow close international monitoring of its nuclear weapons development while refusing to give up its current nuclear arsenal. India and the U.S. have also greatly enhanced their economic ties.

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, President George W. Bush collaborated with India to control and police the extremely crucial Indian Ocean sea-lanes from the Suez to Singapore. The December 2004 tsunami saw the U.S. and Indian navies cooperating in search and rescue operations and reconstruction of affected areas. An Open Skies Agreement was made in April 2005. This helped enhance trade, tourism, and business by the increased number of flights. Air India purchased 68 U.S. Boeing aircraft, which cost $8 billion.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have made recent visits to India as well. After Hurricane Katrina, India donated $5 million to the American Red Cross and sent two plane loads of relief supplies and materials to help. And on 1 March 2006, President Bush made another diplomatic visit to expand relations between India and the United States.

[edit]Military relations

President of the United States of AmericaRichard Nixon and Prime Minister of IndiaIndira Gandhi in 1971. They had a deep personal antipathy that colored bilateral relations.

The U.S.-India defense relationship derives from a common belief in freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, and seeks to advance shared security interests. These interests include maintaining security and stability, defeating terrorism and violent religious extremism, preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and associated materials, data, and technologies and protecting the free flow of commerce via land, air and sea lanes.

In recent years India has conducted joint military exercises with the U.S. in the Indian Ocean.

Recognizing India as a key to strategic U.S. interests, the United States has sought to strengthen its relationship with India. The two countries are the world's largest democracies, both committed to political freedom protected by representative government. India is also moving gradually toward greater economic freedom. The U.S. and India have a common interest in the free flow of commerce and resources, including through the vital sea lanes of the Indian Ocean. They also share an interest in fighting terrorism and in creating a strategically stable Asia.

There were some differences, however, including over India's nuclear weapons programs and the pace of India's economic reforms. In the past, these concerns may have dominated U.S. thinking about India, but today the U.S. views India as a growing world power with which it shares common strategic interests. A strong partnership between the two countries will continue to address differences and shape a dynamic and collaborative future.

In late September 2001, President Bush lifted sanctions imposed under the terms of the 1994 Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act following India's nuclear tests in May 1998. The nonproliferation dialogue initiated after the 1998 nuclear tests has bridged many of the gaps in understanding between the countries. In a meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Vajpayee in November 2001, the two leaders expressed a strong interest in transforming the U.S.-India bilateral relationship. High-level meetings and concrete cooperation between the two countries increased during 2002 and 2003. In January 2004, the U.S. and India launched the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP), which was both a milestone in the transformation of the bilateral relationship and a blueprint for its further progress.

In July 2005, President Bush hosted Prime Minister Singh in Washington, DC. The two leaders announced the successful completion of the NSSP, as well as other agreements which further enhance cooperation in the areas of civil nuclear, civil space, and high-technology commerce. Other initiatives announced at this meeting include: an U.S.-India Economic Dialogue, Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Disaster Relief, Technology Cooperation, Democracy Initiative, an Agriculture Knowledge Initiative, a Trade Policy Forum, Energy Dialogue and CEO Forum. President Bush made a reciprocal visit to India in March 2006, during which the progress of these initiatives were reviewed, and new initiatives were launched.

In December 2006, Congress passed the historic Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Cooperation Act, which allows direct civilian nuclear commerce with India for the first time in 30 years. U.S. policy had opposed nuclear cooperation with India because the country had developed nuclear weapons in contravention of international conventions and never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The legislation clears the way for India to buy U.S. nuclear reactors and fuel for civilian use.

In July 2007, the United States and India reached a historic milestone in their strategic partnership by completing negotiations on the bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation, also known as the "123 agreement." This agreement, signed by Secretary of State Rice and External Affairs Minister Mukherjee on October 10, 2008, governs civil nuclear trade between the two countries and opens the door for American and Indian firms to participate in each other's civil nuclear energy sector. The U.S. and India seek to elevate the strategic partnership further to include cooperation in counter-terrorism, defense cooperation, education, and joint democracy promotion.

[edit]Economic relations

The United States is also one of India's largest direct investors. From 1991 to 2004, the stock of FDI inflow has increased from USD $11.3 million to $344.4 million, totaling $4.13 billion. This is a compound rate increase of 57.5% annually. Indian direct investments abroad were started in 1992. Indian corporations and registered partnership firms are allowed to invest in businesses up to 100% of their net worth. India's largest outgoing investments are manufacturing, which account for 54.8% of the country's foreign investments. The second largest are non-financial services (software development), which accounts for 35.4% of investments.

[edit]Trade relations

U.S. President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a meeting with Indian and American business leaders in New Delhi.

The United States is one of India's largest trading partners. In 2007, the United States exported $17.24 billion worth goods to India and imported $24.02 billion worth of Indian goods.^[12] Major items exported by India to the U.S. include Information Technology Services, textiles, machinery,ITeS, gems and diamonds, chemicals, iron and steel products, coffee, tea, and other edible food products. Major American items imported by India include aircraft, fertilizers, computer hardware,scrap metal and medical equipment.^[13]^[14]

The United States is also India's largest investment partner, with American direct investment of $9 billion accounting for 9% of total foreign investment into India. Americans have made notable foreign investment in India's power generation, telecommunications, ports, roads, petroleum exploration/processing, and mining industries.^[14]

In July 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singhcreated a new program called the Trade Policy Forum. It is run by a representative from each nation. The United States Trade Representative is Rob Portman and the Indian Commerce Secretary is Minister of Commerce Kamal Nath. The goal of the program is to increase bilateral trade which is a two-way trade deal and the flow of investments.

There are five main sub-divisions of the Trade Policy Forum which include: Agricultural Trade group- This group has three main objectives: agreeing on terms that will allow India to export mangoes to the United States, permitting India's Agricultural and Process Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to certify Indian products to the standards of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and executing regulation procedures for approving edible wax on fruit.

Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers group- Goals of the group include: agreeing that insecticides that are manufactures by United States companies can be sold throughout India. India had agreed to cut special regulations on trading carbonated drinks, many medicinal drugs, and lowering regulations on many imports that are not of agricultural nature. Both nations have agreed to discuss improved facets on the trade of Indianregulation requirements, jewelry, computer parts, motorcycles, fertilizer, and those tariffs that affect the American process of exporting boric acid.

The two nations have discussed matters such as those who wish to break into the accounting market, Indian companies gaining licenses for the telecommunications industry, and setting policies by the interaction of companies from both countries regarding new policies related toIndian media and broadcasting. This group has strived to exchange valuable information on recognizing different professional services offered by the two countries, discussing the movement and positioning of people in developing industries and assigning jobs to those people, continuation of talks in how India's citizens can gain access into the market for financial servicing, and discussing the limitation of equities.

The two countries have had talks about the restriction of investments in industries such as financial services, insurance, and retail. Also, to take advantage of any initiatives in joint investments such as agricultural processing and the transportation industries. Both countries have decided to promote small business initiatives in both countries by allowing trade between them.

The majority of exports from the United States to India include: aviation equipment, engineering materials and machinery, instruments used in optical and medical sectors, fertilizers, and stones and metals.

Below are the percentages of traded items India to U.S. increased by 21.12% to $6.94 billion.

Major items of export from U.S. to India: For the year 2006, figures are available up to the month of April. Merchandise exports from U.S. to India increased by 20.09.26% to U.S. $2.95 billion. Select major items with their percentage shares are given below

Engineering goods & machinery (including electrical) (31.2%)
Aviation & aircraft ( 16.8%)
Precious stones & metals (8.01%)
Optical instruments & equipment (7.33%)
Organic chemicals (4.98%)

[edit]Ties under Obama administration

Just days into President Barack Obama's term, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and India's external affairs minister agreed to "further strengthen the excellent bilateral relationship" between the United States and India. Soon after, President Obama issued a statement asserting that, "Our rapidly growing and deepening friendship with India offers benefits to all the world's citizens" and that the people of India "should know they have no better friend and partner than the people of the United States." As part of her confirmation hearing to become Secretary of State, Clinton told Senators she would work to fulfill President Obama's commitment to "establish a true strategic partnership with India, increase our military cooperation, trade, and support democracies around the world."

Despite such top-level assurances from the new U.S. Administration, during 2009 and into 2010, many in India became increasingly concerned that Washington was not focusing on the bilateral relationship with the same vigor as did the Bush Administration, which was viewed in India as having pursued both broader and stronger ties in an unprecedented manner.

Many concerns have arisen in New Delhi, among them that the Obama Administration was overly focused on U.S. relations with China in ways that would reduce India's influence and visibility; that it was intent on deepening relations with India's main rival, Pakistan, in ways that could be harmful to Indian security and perhaps lead to a more interventionist approach to the Kashmir problem; that a new U.S. emphasis on nonproliferation and arms control would lead to pressure on India join such multilateral initiatives as the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty; and that the Administration might pursue so-called protectionist economic policies that could adversely affect bilateral commerce in goods and services.

New Delhi has long sought the removal of Indian companies and organizations from U.S. export control lists, seeing these as discriminatory and outdated. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs Robert Blake contends that much progress has been made in this area, with less than one-half of one percent of all exports to India requiring any license. India also continues to seek explicit U.S. support for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, support that has not been forthcoming. The Obama Administration recognizes a "need to reassess institutions of global governance" and asserts that India's rise "will certainly be a factor in any future consideration of reform" of that Council.

Secretary of State Clinton was widely seen to have concluded a successful visit to India in July 2009, inking several agreements, and also making important symbolic points by staying at Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel (site of a major Islamist terrorist attack in 2008) and having a highprofile meeting with women's groups. While in New Delhi, Clinton set forth five key "pillars" of the U.S.-India engagement: (1) strategic cooperation; (2) energy and climate change; (3) economics, trade, and agriculture; (4) education and development; and (5) science technology and innovation.

In November 2009, President Obama hosted his inaugural state visit when Prime Minister Singh dined at the White House. Despite the important symbolism, the resulting diplomacy was seen by many proponents of closer ties as disappointing (if not an outright failure) in its outcome, at least to the extent that no "breakthroughs" in the bilateral relationship were announced. Yet from other perspectives there were visible ideational gains: the relationship was shown to transcend the preferences of any single leader or government; the two leaders demonstrated that their countries' strategic goals were increasingly well aligned; and plans were made to continue taking advantage of complementarities while differences are well managed. Perhaps most significantly, the visit itself contributed to ameliorating concerns in India that the Obama Administration was insufficiently attuned to India's potential role as a U.S. partner.

President Obama's May 2010 National Security Strategy noted that, "The United States and India are building a strategic partnership that is underpinned by our shared interests, our shared values as the world's two largest democracies, and close connections among our people": "Working together through our Strategic Dialogue and high-level visits, we seek a broadbased relationship in which India contributes to global counterterrorism efforts, nonproliferation, and helps promote poverty-reduction, education, health, and sustainable agriculture. We value India's growing leadership on a wide array of global issues, through groups such as the G-20, and will seek to work with India to promote stability in South Asia and elsewhere in the world."

June 2010 Strategic Dialogue

In June 2010, the United States and India formally reengaged the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue initiated under President Bush when a large delegation of high-ranking Indian officials led by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna visited Washington, DC. As leader of the U.S. delegation, Secretary of State Clinton lauded India as "an indispensible partner and a trusted friend." President Obama appeared briefly at a State Department reception to declare his firm belief that "the relationship between the United States and India will be a defining partnership in the 21st century."

The Strategic Dialogue produced a joint statement in which the two countries pledged to "deepen people-to-people, business-to-business, and government-to-government linkages … for the mutual benefit of both countries and for the promotion of global peace, stability, and prosperity." It outlined extensive bilateral initiatives in each of ten key areas: (1) advancing global security and countering terrorism; (2) disarmament and nonproliferation; (3) trade and economic relations; (4) high technology; (5) energy security, clean energy, and climate change; (6) agriculture; (7) education; (8) health; (9) science and technology; and (10) development. Secretary Clinton confirmed President Obama's intention to visit India in November 2010.

President Obama's Planned Travel to India

Main article: 2010 Barack Obama visit to India

While U.S.-India engagement under the Obama Administration has not (to date) realized any groundbreaking initiatives as was the case under the Bush Administration, it may be that the apparently growing "dominance of ordinariness" in the relationship is a hidden strength that demonstrates its maturing into diplomatic normalcy. In this way, the nascent partnership may yet transform into a "special relationship" similar to those the United States has with Britain, Australia, and Japan, as is envisaged by some proponents of deeper U.S.-India ties.

As the U.S.President planned his November 2010 visit to India, an array of prickly bilateral issues confronted him, including differences over the proper regional roles to be played by China and Pakistan; the status of conflict in Afghanistan; international efforts to address Iran's controversial nuclear program; restrictions on high-technology exports to India, outsourcing, and sticking points on the conclusion of arrangements for both civil nuclear and defense cooperation, among others.

According to some foreign policy experts, Obama's India visit was going to change US approach towards India permanently. This was later proved when President Obama saw India as prominent Future Power on world stage and declared it as one of the important ally to US. US President Obama openly Supports India's Bid for a permanent Seat in the United Nations Security Council.

Analyst expressed their views immediately that US now sees India with the same trust as it sees its main ally Briton, Australia and Japan. Obama's India Visit is seen by Foreign relation experts as the most successful US Presidential Visit.

[edit]Foreign policy issues

According to some analysts, India-U.S. relations have strained over Obama administration's approach in handling the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan.^[15]^[16] India's National Security Adviser, M.K. Narayanan, criticized the Obama administration for linking theKashmir dispute to the instability in Pakistan and Afghanistan and said that by doing so, President Obama was "barking up the wrong tree".^[17] The Foreign Policy too criticized Obama's approach towards South Asia saying that "India can be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem" in South Asia and suggested India to take a more proactive role in rebuilding Afghanistan irrespective of the attitude of the Obama administration.^[18] In a clear indication of growing rift between India and the U.S., the former decided not to accept a U.S. invitation to attend a conference on Afghanistan.^[19] Bloomberg reported that since 2008 Mumbai attacks, the public mood in India has been to pressure Pakistan more aggressively to take actions against the culprits behind the terrorist attack and this might reflect on the upcominggeneral elections in May 2009. Consequently, the Obama administration may find itself at odds with India's rigid stance against terrorism.^[20]

Robert Blake, assistant secretary of United States' Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, dismissed any concerns over a rift with India regarding United States' AfPak policy. Calling India and the United States "natural allies",^[6] Blake said that the United States cannot afford to meet the strategic priorities in Pakistan and Afghanistan at "the expense of India".^[21]

[edit]Economic relations

President George W. Bush shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to India in 2006, at Hyderabad House, New Delhi.

India strongly criticized Obama administration's decision to limit H-1B visas and India's External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, said that his country would argue against U.S. "protectionism" at various international forums.^[22] The Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a close aide of India's main opposition party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that if the United States continues with its anti-outsourcing policies, then India will "have to take steps to hurt American companies in India."^[23] India's Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, said that India may move against Obama's outsourcing policies at the World Trade Organization.^[24] However, the outsourcing advisory head of KPMG said that India had no reason to worry since Obama's statements were directed against "outsourcing being carried out by manufacturing companies" and not outsourcing of IT-related services.^[25]

In May 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated his anti-outsourcing views and criticized the current U.S. tax policy "that says you should pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, New York."^[26] However, during the U.S.-India Business Council meet in June 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton advocated for stronger economic ties between India and the United States. She also rebuked protectionist policies saying that "[United States] will not use the global financial crisis as an excuse to fall back on protectionism. We hope India will work with us to create a more open, equitable set of opportunities for trade between our nations."^[27]

In June 2009, United States provided diplomatic help in successfully pushing through a US$2.9 billion loan sponsored by the Asian Development Bank, despite considerable opposition from the People's Republic of China.^[28]

[edit]Strategic and military relations

U.S. Army and Indian Army soldiers during opening ceremony of Yudh Abhyas 2010 in Alaska.

"	"As part of that strategy, we [India and U.S.] should expand our broader security relationship and increase cooperation on counterterrorism and intelligence sharing."	"
—Hillary Clinton, United States Secretary of State^[27]

In March 2009, the Obama administration cleared the US$2.1 billion sale of eight P-8 Poseidons to India.^[29] This deal, and the US$5 billion agreement to provide Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft and General Electric F404engines announced during Obama's November 2010 visit, makes the U.S. one of the top three military suppliers for India, following Israel and Russia.^[30]

India expressed its concerns that Obama administration's non-military aid to Pakistan will not be used for counter-insurgency, but for building up its military against India.^[31] However, Robert Blake, assistant secretary of Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, said that the Pakistani Government was increasingly focused at fighting the Taliban insurgency and expressed hope that the people of India would "support and agree with what we are trying to do".^[21]

Concerns were raised in India that the Obama administration was delaying the full implementation of the Indo-U.S. Nuclear Deal.^[32] The Obama administration has also strongly advocated for the strengthening of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and has pressurized India to sign the agreement. India's special envoy, Shyam Saran, "warned" the United States that India would continue to oppose any such treaty as it was "discriminatory".^[33] In June 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the Obama administration was "fully committed" to the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear agreement.^[34]

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen encouraged stronger military ties between India and the United States and said that "India has emerged as an increasingly important strategic partner [of the U.S.]".^[35] U.S. Undersecretary of State William Joseph Burns said, "Never has there been a moment when India and America mattered more to each other." ^[36]

[edit]2010 visit by President Obama

In November 2010 Obama became the second U.S. President after Richard Nixon (in 1969) to undertake a visit to India in his first term in office. On November 8 Obama became the 2nd U.S. President ever to address a joint session of the Parliament of India. In a major policy shift Obama declared U.S. support for India's permanent membership of United Nations Security Council.^[37] Calling India-U.S. relationship a defining partnership of 21st century he also announced removal of export control restrictions on several Indian companies and concluded trade deals worth $10 billion which are expected to create/support 50,000 jobs in the U.S. during this visit.^[38]

[edit]See also

[edit]Notes

^ India-U.S. Economic and Trade Relations
^ The Evolving India-U.S. Strategic Relationship
^ [1]
^ India frets over Obama's Chinamania
^ India renews criticism of "Buy American" drift
^ ^a ^b Reflections on U.S. - India Relations - Robert O. Blake
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_india
^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_india
^http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy10/pdf/budget/defense.pdf
^ [2] — Taipei Times,[3] Indian American Center for Political Awareness
^ http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/clinton-imposes-full-sanctionsindia/22222/
^ Foreign Trade Census
^ India - U.S. Trade and Economic Relations
^ ^a ^b India (10/07)
^ [4]
^ [5]
^ Obama should not link Kashmir with Pak's problems: NSA
^ India needs a lot more love from Obama
^ India not to attend conference on Afghanistan with Pakistan, U.S.
^ India's Terror Stance Vexes Obama Amid Voter Ire at Pakistan
^ ^a ^b New Strategic Partnerships Robert O. Blake
^ India says it will oppose U.S. 'protectionism'
^ Anger Grows in India over U.S. Visa Rules
^ India may contest Obama's move against outsourcing in WTO
^ 'Obama on outsourcing is no reason to panic'
^ U.S.-India Relations Strained under Obama
^ ^a ^b Remarks at U.S.-India Business Council's 34th Anniversary "Synergies Summit"
^ The China-India Border Brawl
^ U.S. OKs record $2.1 billion arms sale to India
^ Cohen, Stephen and Sanil Dasgupta. "Arms Sales for India". Brookings Institution. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
^ Indian Vote May Revive Stalled U.S. Defense, Nuclear Exports
^ Indo-U.S. nuclear deal in jeopardy
^ India warns Obama on nuclear test ban treaty
^ Hillary: fully committed to nuclear deal
^ India has emerged as a strategic partner for U.S.: Mullen
^ http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100602_6708.php
^ Stolberg, Sheryl (8 November 2010). [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100131/spectrum/main1.htm Richard Nixon visited India in 1969 after becoming the president http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/world/asia/09prexy.html"Obama Backs India for Seat on Security Council"]. The New York Times. Retrieved 8 November 2010.^{[dead link]}
^ Reynolds, Paul (8 November 2010). "Obama confirms U.S. strategic shift towards India". BBC. Retrieved 8 November 2010.

India US Trade India US Trade in 2015 US Trade with BRIC:China holds the key Economic profile of India and the United States iyty

[edit]Sources

Blake, Jr., Robert O. "U.S.-India Relations: the Making of a Comprehensive Relationship." U.S. Embassy India. Army War College, Indore, India. 23 August 2004, 6 October 2006 <www.state.gov>.
"India - U.S. Economics Relations." Embassy of India - Washington DC. 8 October 2006
Kronstadt, K. A. India-U.S. Relations. Library of Congress. 2006. 17–19. 8 October 2006.
Roy, Dr. P. C. Indo-U.S. Economic Relations. Rajouri Garden, New Delhi: Deep & Deep Publications, 1986. 73–125.

[edit]External links

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[show]v · d · e Foreign relations of the United States

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The Evolving India-U.S. Strategic Relationship

A Compendium of Articles and Analyses

Overviews

Nuclear Issues

Security Cooperation

Pakistan and Kashmir

Regional Issues

India – United States relations

Contents

[edit]Country comparison

[edit]History

[edit]Military relations

[edit]Economic relations

[edit]Trade relations

[edit]Ties under Obama administration

[edit]Foreign policy issues

[edit]Economic relations

[edit]Strategic and military relations

[edit]2010 visit by President Obama

[edit]See also

[edit]Notes

[edit]Sources

[edit]External links

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