India marching on

Raju Vernekar
Even as we are celebrating 69 th Independence Day, the NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is embroiled in many controversies providing ammunition to the Congress-led opposition which has been reduced to  miniscule party.
It is for the second time Modi will be addressing the nation from the Red Fort in New Delhi after NDA came to power last year. The PM’s speech will be followed by march past by divisions of the Indian Army and paramilitary forces, and parades and pageants showcasing events from struggle for independence as well as cultural traditions of the country. Similar events will take place throughout the country and abroad by the Indian Diaspora.  In several cities in the United States, 15 August has received the nomenclature “India Day”.
The settlement of boundary dispute between India and Bangladesh and peace pact with Naga insurgents could certainly be described as milestones in the history of India. The NDA Government has already launched several schemes including “Jan Dhan Yojna”, “Jan Suraksha Bima Yojana”, and  “Housing for all by 2022” to uplift the poor and down trodden.  Nevertheless it is important to take a stock of several issues related to this largest democracy in the world.
Indo-Bangladesh pact
A 68-year-old dispute surrounding 162 Indian and Bangladeshi enclaves, affecting the lives of over 50.000 people was ended after an agreement was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina. The two countries switched sovereignty over 111 enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 in India following a border agreement struck in June last.  This is certainly a welcome sign.
Naga insurgency
After a gap of several years, the PM Narendra Modi has been able to make peace with Nagaland insurgents and the pact does not involve redrawing the state’s borders. The deal involves creating a mechanism which would create institutions allowing autonomy to Naga tribes living across the border in Manipur – a significant climb down by insurgent leaders.
The negotiators have also agreed to set up a mechanism to discuss decommissioning of arms held by the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) (IM), a faction led by Thuingaleng Muviah and Isak Chisi Swu. The group had been claiming that it needed  weapons to ward off attacks from rival NSCN factions led by Myanmar-based S.S. Khaplang and Khole Konyak. It is to be seen whether the agreement meets the main demand of NSCN(IM) for integration of all Naga-inhabited areas in the North East across Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Indian Economy
Fiscal deficit
The size of the economy is expected to be Rs 141.08 lakh crore in 2015-16 at current prices.
As per the fiscal consolidation road map outlined in the Budget 2015-16, fiscal deficit is to be brought down to 3.9 per cent of GDP in the current fiscal, then to 3.5 per cent in 2016-17 and further to 3 per cent by 2017-18.  India’s GDP advanced 7.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2015, up from a downwardly revised growth of 6.6 percent in the previous period supported by a strong expansion in manufacturing and services sectors. This rate is expected to sustain in future.
FDI
The Government recently informed the Parliament that India received $19.78 billion foreign direct investment (FDI) from 12 countries visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in financial year 2014-15. During the period, Indian companies invested $3.42 billion in these countries which include Bhutan, Brazil, Nepal, Japan, the US, Myanmar, Australia, Fiji, Seychelles, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Singapore. The total outflow and inflow of foreign investment in general for 2014-15 fiscal was $6.42 billion ..
WPI
Wholesale prices continued to deflate at 2.40 per cent in June’15 from 2.36 per cent in May’15. Comparatively, inflation stood at 5.66 per cent in June’14.So far monsoon performance in this season has been 4 per cent below average with crop producing areas receiving excess or normal rainfall. Given the trajectory of monsoon and a favourable base extending over Dec’15; inflation is likely to stay within RBI’s projected rate of 6 per cent and it is likely to be below 6 per cent by January 2016.
Gold monetising
It is for the first time the gold prices have crashed drastically. Now the there is a Gold Monetisation Scheme which is expected to replace both the present Gold Deposit and Gold Metal Loan Schemes. The new scheme would allow the depositors of gold to earn interest in their metal accounts and the jewellers to obtain loans in their metal account. Banks/ other dealers would also be able to monetise this gold. The stocks of gold in India are estimated to be over 20,000 tonnes but mostly this gold is neither traded, nor monetised. The sovereign Gold Bonds would carry a fixed rate of interest, and also be redeemable in terms of the face value of the gold, at the time of redemption by the holder of the bond.
Population
The population which was a mere 35 crore at the time of Independence, has swelled up to 128 crore and we are second to most populous country in the world..China which is on the top with over 1,37 crore people. One out of six people on this planet live in India. With the population growth rate at 1.58%, India is predicted to have more than 153 crore people by the end of 2030.  It is a fact that despite several welfare schemes, nearly 27 crore people live below the poverty line in the country. With concerted efforts, the Government expects that people living BPL will be down to 26.7 percent this year.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
Now much depends upon “PMJDY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana) which completed its target of enrolling 7.50 crore people two months before the last Republic Day and as of April 15 this year, that number went upto 15 crore. However, the data from the PMJDY website show 58 per cent accounts with zero-balance as of March 31 this year.
Unemployment
The Government of India has claimed that the unemployment rate has decreased to up to 4.90 percent. However as per Chandigarh based Labour Bureau’s “Third Annual Employment & Unemployment Survey 2012-13”, unemployment rate amongst illiterate youth is lower than educated youth and one  out of every three graduates is unemployed in India. Most of the states have approximately the same proportion of unemployed people. Some states have much higher rates. These include Jammu & Kashmir with about 48 per cent households having unemployed persons, Bihar (35%), Assam (38%), West Bengal (54%), Jharkhand (42%), Odisha (39%) and Kerala (42%). At the other end, Maharashtra (14%), Gujarat (12%), Andhra Pradesh (18%) Karnataka (14%) and Tamil Nadu (18%).
Literacy
Over all literacy rate of the country stands at 72.99 per cent( male literacy– 80.89 per cent and female literacy– 64.64 per cent.  Three states topping the list are: Kerala (94 per cent ), Lakshadweep (91.85 per cent)  and Mizoram (91.33). States with literacy rate between national average (72.99%) and below 90%  are: Tripura (87.22%), Goa (88.70%), Daman & Diu (76.24%), Puducherry (85.85%), Chandigarh (86.05%), Delhi (86.21%), A&N Islands (86.63%), Himachal Pradesh (82.8%), Maharashtra (82.34%), Sikkim (81.42%) Tamil Nadu (80.09%), Nagaland (79.55%), Manipur (79.21%), Uttarakhand (78.82%), Gujarat (78.03%), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (76.24%), West Bengal (76.26%), Punjab (75.84%), Haryana (75.55%), Karnataka (75.36%) and Meghalaya (74.43%).
Farmers’ suicides
For a country that is set to be ranked among the world’s top five economies over the next decade, India cannot afford to be counted as a home for impoverished farmers who are ending their lives since they cannot repay loans as small as Rs 10,000. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 5,650 farmers committed suicide in India last year. According to a sample survey by the National Sample Survey Organisation, nearly 52% of farm households in India are indebted.
Housing
The Centre’s “Housing for All by 2022” , the Government aims to build 2 crore houses by 2022. The plan envisages an approval to rehabilitation of slum dwellers with participation of private developers. On an average the Central grant of Rs. one lakh per house, will be available under the slum rehabilitation programme. Under the Credit Linked Interest Subsidy component, interest subsidy of 6.5 percent on housing loans availed up to a tenure of 15 years will be provided to Economically Weaker Section/Lower Income Group categories, wherein the subsidy pay-out on Net Present Value (NPV) basis would be about Rs.2.3 lakh per house for both the categories. Central assistance at the rate of Rs.1.5 lakh per house for EWS category will be provided under the Affordable Housing. Houses constructed under the mission would be allotted in the name of the female head of the households or in the joint name of the male head of the household and his wife.
AMRUT
The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme will be implemented with public private partnership. The union cabinet has already approved.  Rs. 50,000 crore for AMRUT, which seeks to upgrade urban infrastructure across 500 towns and cities.
POWER
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana’ for power sector reforms in rural areas aiming to provide uninterrupted supply of electricity. The scheme focuses on feeder separation (rural households and agricultural usage) and strengthening of sub-transmission and distribution infrastructure, including metering at all levels in rural areas. Total outlay for the new scheme is Rs 76,000 crore, out of which Central government shall provide grant of Rs 63,000 crore. A total of Rs 14,680 crore worth projects have already been approved. Of these the projects amounting to Rs 5,827 crore have been approved for Bihar. While country needs, 128000 MW electricity during peak hours, there is a  shortage of about 12,000 MW. Over 30 crore people in India have no access to electricity.
SPACE
ISRO recently launched PSLV-XL(Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle), with five British satellites onboard from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.  This was  the fifth dedicated launch for commercial purposes, the heaviest of the commercial payloads and was  the second launch by the ISRO this year. Earlier a  navigation satellite-IRNSS-1D was launched in March. By a fair margin, India has launched 71 spacecraft (31 Indian and 40 foreign satellites) into a variety of orbits. Some notable payloads launched by PSLV include Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe and the Mars Orbiter Mission.
DEFENCE
The Government is gearing up for a major procurement of artillery guns for the Army after a gap of over 30 years. The last major purchase of artillery guns took place in 1984 and the Bofors guns bought then are still in use. These guns will be replaced with new advanced machines. The Army requires at least 3,000 artillery guns.
The artillery guns would be procured as per the “Buy and Make” procedure under which 100 such guns would be bought off the shelf while 714 would be made in India.
Tejas
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is being made the backbone of Indian Air Force and it is  reported to be timetabled for March 2016.  The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) is the prime agency for development of LCA Mark-II with public and private partnerships.
After Tejas-II, India plans to kick-off its own fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) development project to build on the expertise gained in the long developmental saga of the indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft. The project requires Rs 4,000-5,000 crore for the initial design and development phase. The aim is to fly the first twin-engine AMCA prototype by 2023-2024, which will be around the time deliveries of Tejas Mark-II fighters will be underway.
AGNI
Early this year Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), successfully test-launched Agni-5, its longest range ballistic missile, off the Odisha coast. The missile was launched from a canister from Wheeler Island, giving it higher road mobility. With a range of 5000 km, the nuclear-capable missile can carry a warhead in the east as far as all of China and in the west all over Europe.
All said and done it is for the first time after many years several public welfare schemes have been announced by the Government and if implemented properly certainly India will be self-reliant. Then only we can boast of unity in diversity and have an all round progress.
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