Raju Vernekar
Even as we are celebrating 70 th Independence Day, the NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is beset with several issues including the unrest in Kashmir and threat by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
After NDA came to power at the centre in 2014, It is for the third time Modi will be addressing the nation from the Red Fort in New Delhi. The PM’s speech will be followed by march past by divisions of the Indian Army and paramilitary forces. The parades and pageants showcasing events from struggle for independence will be held in the country. Similar events will also held abroad by the Indian Diaspora.
NSG
As India is surging forward in the international arena, failure to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has been a real set back. India’s attempts failed since, China and at least seven other countries blocked consensus at the elite group which controls transfer of nuclear technology in the world. The NSG cited Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the “cornerstone” of the international non-proliferation regime, but India said the NPT issue was addressed in 2008 itself, when it got the country-specific waiver. It may be recalled that the NSG was founded in response to India’s 1974.
Indo-Pak relations
Despite threat by LeT founder Hafiz Saeed, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh attended the 7 th SAARC Interior Ministers’ conference in Islamabad and exhorted Pakistan to initiate steps to avoid terrorism emanating from its own land is certainly a welcome step. However the ceasefire violations and cross-border terrorism continues.
Indian Economy
After several years, the Government was able to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill for Goods and Services Tax (GST) which is expected to remove barriers in trade, improve economic efficiency and lead to higher growth in the long run. It is expected to replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world’s biggest single market. It is a single tax on the supply of goods and services, right from the manufacturer to the consumer and it is expected to have a beneficial impact on our economic diplomacy, including foreign trade. But the rate should not be high or else it may prove to be counter productive to grass root consumers.
GDP
With the government handling the economy to push up growth potential while giving attention to immediate issues, the Indian economy is expected to grow above 7.9 percent by the end of this year.
The surprising element is agriculture growth which stood at 2.3 per cent compared to minus 1 per cent in the previous quarter.
FDI
The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is expected to stand at 2029.84 USD million. In the long-term, it is projected to trend around 2028.64 USD Million by 2020. As per the World Investment Report 2016 by the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), India continues to be among the top ten countries in terms of FDI inflows globally and the fourth in developing Asia,
Population
The population which was 35 crore at the time of Independence, has now swelled up to 133 crore and we are second to China, the most populous country in the world, which is on the top with over 141 crore population. India represents nearly 17.85 per cent of the world’s population. India is predicted to have over 153 crore population by 2030. In our country, nearly 27 crore people live below the poverty line. With several welfare measures, the Government expects that people living BPL will be down at least to 26.7 crore. Over 50 per cent of our population is below the age of 25 and over 65 per cent below the age of 35. About 72.2 per cent population lives in 638,000 odd villages and the rest 27.8 per cent lives in nearly 5,480 towns and urban agglomerations.
Literacy
India’s literacy rate is at 74.04 per cent and the Kerala is the most literate state in the country, with with 93.91 per cent literacy. Bihar is the least literate, with a literacy of 63.82 per cent. The literacy rate has grown to 74.04 per cent (2011 figure) which was 12 per cent at the end of British rule in 1947. There is a wide gender disparity in the literacy rate. The effective literacy rates (age 7 and above) in 2011 were 82.14 per cent for men and 65.46 per cent for women. The low female literacy rate has had a dramatically negative impact on family planning and population stabilisation efforts in India.
Housing
The Central Government plans to construct 2.95 crore houses in rural areas under its ambitious “Housing for All by 2022” scheme. It will be spending over Rs 81,975 crore for the construction of the one crore houses in the first three years of the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMYA) under which it will provide financial assistance of Rs 1.20 lakh to those living in plain areas and Rs 1.30 lakh to those in “hilly and difficult” areas. The scheme will be implemented in rural areas throughout the country except Delhi and Chandigarh. The cost of houses would be shared between the Centre and the states.
Power
In order to address the lack of adequate electricity, in the country by March 2019, the Government of India, has launched “Power for ALL” scheme, to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to households, industries and commercial establishments by creating necessary infrastructure. It will be a joint collaboration of central and state governments. Under the ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana’ launched by the prime minister earlier, the uninterrupted power supply is expected to be provided to rural households. The scheme aims at feeder separation (rural households and agricultural usage), strengthening sub-transmission and distribution, in rural areas. It is pertinent to note that over 30 crore people in the country have no access to electricity even today.
Nuke power
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa recently jointly dedicated the Unit 1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant to the nation. At 1000 MW Kundankulam I is the largest single unit of electrical power in India. Besides five more units of 1000 MW each are planned.
Defence
India and Russia recently inked a deal worth 310 million dollars to upgrade 10 Kamov Ka-28PL anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters for the Indian Navy. As per the deal with Russia, India will directly purchase the equipments like sensors from Russia’s Rosoboronexport, which will import them and install on the Kamov 28. Out of the ten choppers, six will get state-of- the art sensors and lethal equipment while 4 will go for an engine overhaul. The project will be completed in two locations: first, Kamov-28’s will go to Russia for overhaul, while sensors and final assembly will be done on Indian soil i.e Vizag. Similarly, the Russia has decided to purchase Brahmos 3 missile from India.
Tejas
The Indian Air Force has already inducted “Tejas”, a Light Combat Aircraft (LCA),which is often compared to Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder. It has been designed and developed by DRDO, HAL and Aeronautical. Development Agency (ADA). It is expected to be put into combat role by the IAF by next year. “Tejas”, is designed to carry air-to-air, air-to-surface, precision guided and standoff weaponry.
Space
India recently successfully tested its first-ever swadeshi or indigenous space shuttle from Sriharikota, in Andhra Pradesh. The Re-Usable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator or RLV-TD was by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Many welfare schemes have been announced by the Government and if implemented properly, India will be certainly self-reliant. Then only we can boast of unity in diversity and have an all round progress.
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