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The Quad meeting of the US, Australia, Japan and India took place in Hiroshima, as shown here. The leaders expressed their deep concern over the economic effects of the Ukraine war, including "food, fuel and energy security, critical supply chains. The meeting was to take place in Sydney, Australia, but was cancelled due to debt talks taking place between Biden and Republicans in the US Congress. The next Quad meeting is in India in 2024. Biden will meet pm Modi in the US June 22. PM Modi also meets Macron on Bastille Day in Paris on 14 July as a special guest of France.

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Vikshit Bharat 2047, Voice of Youth is launched in December 2023 by prime minister Narendra Modi. The plan is for India to be a fully developed economy by 2047.

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Over 100 women scientists are part of the Chandrayan moon missions of Indian space agency ISRO. Many are leader of project teams and head key parts of the scientific efforts of ISRO. Prime minister Modi says the moon mission shows the strength of women or 'nari shakti' and the potential of the younger generation of women for careers in science and technology. About 25% of the 16,000 employees of ISRO space agency are women, and Modi says "they will inspire women for generations to come." Women make up 43% of graduates in STEM scientific fields, yet when it comes to being part of scientific institutes or universities this drops to 14%, an imbalance that prime minister Modi and ISRO women seek to address. DW.com looks at the work of women in the moon, mars and solar missions including Ritu Karidhal, Nidhi Porwal, Reema Ghosh, Kalpana Kalahasti. Kalahasti is deputy project director and has overseen the satellite imaging that will be done from Chandrayan 3. Reema Ghosh worked on the "Pragyan" rover that is now exploring the moon's surface. ...

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This article in the Economist Report on India focusses on politics, and the implementation of a state devolution of powers and finances. This is the big idea referred to by the prime minister's Economic Advisor, Arvind Subramanium. The Modi administration is providing the direction at the federal level for a development push at the state level. The states will now get 42% of federal tax revenus and with state revenues this increases to 62% of total revenues, giving the states leverage to compete for talent, capital, and investment for economic growth. This element of competition will be strong to attract different industries and foreign investment similiar to the experience of Gujarat and now pushed at all levels of government. It also introduces the idea of "competitive federalism" as India is a country with states at various stages of development from Gujarat to Punjab and Bihar. The new NITI Aayog replaces the old command economy Planning Commission from the Congress administrations since 1947, and supports "competitive federalism" as a think tank that provides advice and help to the centre and states. Rising aspirations in India helps the Modi government with voters who are incresingly urban and better educated, looking for jobs. The election in Delhi suggests voters will always be open to new ideas to fight corruption and bring better delivery of public services, and wins by parties offering positive change for improvement will always be a part of India's democracy, introducing competition in politics for who can do a better job at the regional level. ...

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Young people in India express their rising expectations for the next government- for better infrastructure, for jobs and better incomes and a better vision for the future. Narendra Modi, leader of the BJP party and chief minister of Gujarat state, gives the development and high growth rates in his state as an example for what can be achieved in the the rest of India.

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Sofiya Qureshi and Vyomika Singh along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri provide the first public briefing on the Operation Sindoor. They are women officers of the Indian Army and Air Force. The briefing was the first of its kind where details were provided by the Army, Air Force and the Foreign Ministry of India. It was a precisely done briefing showing the terrorist camps in Pakistan, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and the ones targeted, and the link of each camp with a terrorist attack going back to 25 years. In this way it send the message that it is targeted at preventing this kind of terrorism at the source and as a preventive action to eliminate the chances of future terrorism, especially where it is targeting peaceful economic development and advancement of the whole of India.  Twenty three million tourists have visited Kashmir in 2024 and this has created a surge in the economy of Kashmir and increased the jobs and opportunities, the investment in Kashmir. The attacks at Phalgam are presented then as a direct attempt to turn back the tide of modernization of India. It is what the Japanese Kwantung Army did to suppress democratic forces in Japan and begin a war of imperialism in China. It was rooted before the Kwantung Army in the efforts to suppress the efforts of modernizers such as Sun Yat Sen by the Japanese. Gen. Joe Stilwell of the US led the struggle against the Imperial Japanese Army in China which is too easily forgotten in China as the first step towards the subsequent American effort in the 1990's to engage with China and help it modernize its economy. ...

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Indian prime minister Mod's address at the COP26 Glasgow in DW.com video, announcing India's 5 commitments and determination to deliver on them, including Net Zero Emissions by 2070. India set tangible targets for 2030-

500 gigawatts of renewable energy, 1 billon tons fewer emissions, 45% improvement in carbon intensity, 50% for renewables in energy mix.

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The idea that strongmen and populist politics are the problems of Sri Lanka is misleading. In the recovery of 2023-2024 it is PM Ranil Wickremasinghe with the help of PM Modi's financial loan assistance and arrangement through the IMF that put Sri Lanka back on the road to recovery.  Sri Lanka was called Ceylon during the colonial era. It became a Portuguese colony in 1505, and by 1600 a Dutch colony from which the Dutch extracted spices and cinnamon. In 1802 it was transferred by treaty to the British till independence in 1948. British left 1948 a country with an economy generating surplus from exports of coconuts, cinnamon, rubber and tea which financed a generous welfare state with subsidized rice. Under the British literacy was highest in South Asia. The failures were in race relations over two decades of war 1977-2009 by the attitudes of Sinhalese and Tamil leaders, and lack of a role model in northern India as PM Modi offers today for modernization. The second is the colossal failure of the "cut" politics where governments use their office for a cut in every business transaction which PM Modi has fought against with calls for good honest governance. The governments after 2009 continued these policies and let the central banks funds be depleted in the process leading to the financial crisis, inflation and inability to fund imports. Lessons are being learned and PM Modi is setting the path for all of South Asia for investment in infrastructure and modernization, good governance and Vikshit Bharat- developed India 2047. Sr Lanka is part of this vision for South Asia and Indonesia with 1.7 billion people.   ...

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The message is clear from Paris - anybody can do AI at the profligate overspending and cost of people like OpenAI, and Microsoft. After DeepSeek in China proved it can be done at a tenth of the cost, there is the tremendous potential of the largest pool of young engineers and scientists in India to do it for a fraction of the cost in China.This is why this Action Summit in Paris is being done by sharing the cost keeping at  13 million euros, and having India under PM Modi as co sponsor with France's Macron. Modi called it and extension of similar efforts working with France on solar and renewable energy. Here is how the French did it- the Ministries each pitched in. The Economy ministry 3 million euros to attract foreign investors, the Foreign Ministry 2 million euros to welcome world leaders Vance and Modi, the armed forces 1.5 million euros, the Culture Ministry 1 million euros and staff to coordinate the summit. The buildings used were familiar ones- the Summit at the Grand Palais build for the Pais Exposition of 1900, the Institut Polytechnique for science themed events, and the Bibiliotheque Nationale France for the cultural weekend Feb 8-9. ...

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PM Modi visits Gandhiji's Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and inaugurates the $145 million Sabarmati Ashram renovation project. In June 1917 Mohandas Gandhi bought land on the banks of the Sabarmati river to build the Ashram. It was the central location for Gandhiji's struggle with the British for Hind Swaraj, independence from Britain. The ideas in Gandhi's Hind Swaraj written in 1910 during the struggle for South African workers was implemented from here including the Satyagraha struggles, negotiations with the British Raj, Dandi march to the sea in April 1930 to protest the tax on salt. It was originally on 120 acres which by 2020 were reduced to 5 acres. The new project will expand the Ashram to 57 acres into a major worldwide center for learning about Gandhi's life and ideas and the role for gaining Bharat Swaraj or freedom and its role in Bharat's future for a new generation of youth. Leaders including Sardar Vallahbhai Patel and Narendra Modi look to Gandhiji's ideas for inspiration and guidance in the everyday administration of the country. Gandhi's ideas anticipate not just the aspirations for freedom with taking responsibility for one's own actions, but also the movements for respecting nature through climate change action, uplifting of rural areas, and the improvement of the living conditions of working people and families everywhere in the world. The Ashram exhibition shows documents including letters to the Viceroy in the 1920's showing the budget for the Empire in India and asking why so much went to defense and military and so little to uplifting the lives of the people, in education, health and infrastructure. Having seen it at the Ashram one could say such a direct letter to the head of a large nation, as the Viceroy in India was then is unimaginable today. In some ways emails and electronic communication have made contact with officials and government less not more and created a seemingly insurmountable gap today. ...

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Speech by European Union President von der Leyen on her visit to India and signing Major Partnership Agreement : ‘The Consequential Partnership: Reimagining and realigning EU and India ties for today's world'-   "This world is fraught with danger. But I believe this modern version of great power competition is an opportunity for Europe and India to reimagine their partnership. In many ways, the EU and India are uniquely placed to respond to this challenge together. India is the largest democracy and soon to be in the top 4 of the world's largest economies. It is the leading voice of the Global South. Europe is a unique cross-border democracy and open economy. The largest trading partner for some 80 countries around the world. But this partnership makes sense not only because of our shared values or our close ties. Or even because of our respective geographies, demographies or economies. But it is because our interests in this hyper-competitive world align more often than not. We both stand to lose from a world of spheres of influence and isolationism. And we both stand to gain from a world of cooperation and working together. Because we can offer each other distinctive alternatives and tools to make ourselves stronger, more secure and more sovereign in today's world. The kind of offer that cannot really be replicated by others. This is why the EU and India have the potential to be one of the defining partnerships of this Century. And it is why it will be a cornerstone of Europe's foreign policy in the years and decades to come. So, I want this visit to be the start of this new era. Prime Minister Modi and I share the same view. It is time to take our EU-India Strategic Partnership to the next level. For our own security and our prosperity. For the common global challenges that we face. And for the benefit of our respective regions and our partners around the world." ...

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India is a founding member and lead chair of Global Partnership on AI. At the GPAI Summit at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, December 11, 2023, prime minister Narendra Modi talks about India's potential  for cutting edge research and also about the risks and dangers of AI. "AI is transformative. Yet its transparency is essential, data and algorithms have to be transparent, and free from bias, for its right beginning, to be useful to humanity." Modi describes the useful aspects of AI for India's health sector and for other sectors, and India's UN Sustainability Goals. The safe and ethical use of AI and its democratization with AI for All a focus in India.

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Mr. Arjun Meghwal from the reserved constituency of Bikaner in Rajasthan is appointed by prime minister Modi to be the new Law minister of India. It also ensures smoother relations between the federal government and the Judiciary.

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EU's Leyen and Costa at India's Republic Day Parade 2026 with PM Modi. European Union's Leyen said on her visit to India with Da Costa- "We are on the cusp of a historic trade Agreement indeed some call it the mother of all deals one that would create a market of two billion people." "A free trade agreement between the EU and India would be the largest deal of this kind anywhere in the world. I am well aware it will not be easy. But I also know that timing and determination counts, and that this partnership comes at the right moment for both of us." Leyen concluded that this was a moment that seemed so opportunity filled for both regions. "In troubled times great opportunities come. And I believe 2025 is a historic window of opportunity to build an indivisible partnership between Europe and India. Our interests align. Our commitment is iron-clad. And if it can be done anywhere, it can be done here. Because as Romain Rolland – the French writer and great admirer of India said: “If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India.”  "And today we are one step closer to making our common dream a reality. Thank you and long live our friendship." ...

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Nepal is a remote mountainous country with some of the highest Himalayan mountain ranges and Mt. Everest. For decades it has stagnated economically with Chinese help making little difference, Indian help more recent, and the country with per capita income of about $1500 for a population of  29 million. Neighboring India with 1.4 billion people is seeing huge increase in young people's aspirations in neighboring Indian states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh under the Modi government. Average age in Nepal is 25 years, in Bihar a neighboring state in India it is 22 years. This is affecting Nepal with the similar lack of tolerance for corrupt governments that cannot deliver on infrastructure and health/education. Urbanization is only 17% in Bihar state in India that is neighbor of Nepal and most people live in rural areas, the same is true for Nepal with 20% urbanization. Per capita income in Bihar state is $900 one third of India's $2700 per capita income, in Nepal it is $1500. Who is Balen Shah- a 35 year old structural engineer into hiphop music who is Mayor of Kathmandu, the capital. He supported the student protests against the corruption of government led by PM Oli which had to resign. His party RSD leads in two thirds of 275 parliamentary seats. Each voter gets 2 votes, one is for 165 seats on first past the post basis, and the other vote is to allocate 110 seats based on the party vote. Average age in Nepal is 25 years with 800,000 first time voters in voting population of 19 million.  ...

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The Economist magazine points out that Indian companies will have to invest more in innovation if they are to maintain return on investment. It says the GST, government action to reduce corruption since 2012 through court decision on crony capitalism, better functioning markets for land, natural resources and capital, more efficient supply chains, will force large Indian companies to compete by becoming more efficient. Under the previous regime before 2012 large Indian companies were able to make high ROI but this was an illusory advantage, as the growth in the Indian economy could create opportunities for firms that can compete with innovation, quality and efficiency. In this sense the Indian economy is entering a new phase under the Modi administration with stretch goals and efforts to create  the next ten year period of growth very different from the past.

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PM Modi closes the 100th episode with the words- "Charaiveti, charaiveti, charaiveti, chalte raho, chalte raho"- from the Vedanta and Buddhist period in India is about life's endless journey and to keep moving, to keep moving, a whole country and about a billion and a half people on the move. Ideas become popular movements and the radio talk show every month by prime minister Modi takes on new meaning for hundreds of millions of young people in India. Ideas about "Swachh Bharat" or Clean India Mission, about the environment, health, about technology and education to transform the country, about women becoming a part of the economy, about the dignity of workers, about starting small business that creates jobs, about renewable energy. 

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DW.com's Aditya Sharma takes a deeper look at India's efforts to tackle climate change before the COP26 Glasgow Summit. Mr. Modi will attend the global summit in Glasgow, Scotland, COP26. Chinese president Xi Jinping is not expected to attend. India is the only major country to be on track to achieve its targets set in the Paris Climate change Agreement, according to the UN Environment Program's Emission Gap Report.  This report in DW.com says India plans to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP- volume of emissions for every unit of GDP- by around 35% by 2030 from 2005 levels. India is also nearing its goal under 2015 Paris Agreement for achieving about 40% share of non fossil fuel based electricity generating capacity, which the government expects will be achieved by 2023, 7 years ahead of schedule. Behind this are ambitious goals for solar energy generation set by prime minister Modi, after his first experiments with new solar energy technologies when he was running the state government in Gujarat state. Modi sees new technologies of the future playing a big role in making it possible to achieve ambitious goals way ahead of schedule. This is the unique approach India is adopting of pushing ahead with newer and newer technologies. ...

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A look at Bhupendra Patel of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation who is Modi's choice for new chief minister of Gujarat. People who have known him describe their experience in this Indian Express report of the choice. This is the first time someone from the old pols of Ahmedabad is now CM of Gujarat state, Modi's home state. Patel is from the old Dhantura Pol and is familiar with Dariapur, parts of the old walled city of Ahmedabad. Naranpura, Memnagar, different parts of Ahmedabad come up in a discussion of Patel. He has a diploma in civil engineering from Ahmedabad's Government Technical College, where his father was principal, and has worked in setting up building projects in the city for most of his life.  People who have known him describe him as calm and unruffled under pressure. He is seen as hard working and someone who values delivery on time. As head of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority Patel was known to have his committee review projects to ensure 99% on time delivery, which is important to Modi, in addition to being people conscious and sensitive to issues facing people. This one time firecracker shop vendor in Dariapur  ran a tiffin service for covid patients during the surge in 2020.  ...

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The lockdown in India has been extended. Prime minister Modi met with state chief ministers and all agreed to extend the lockdown.

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On India becoming the third largest economy in the world by 2030 prime minister Modi says- "When I became Chief Minister in 2001 the size of Gujarat's economy was around $26 billion. When I left Gujarat to become PM the size of Gujarat's economy had become $133 billion. When I became PM the size of India's economy was $2 trillion, and at the end of 2023-2024 the size of India's GDP will be more than $3.75 trillion. It is this track record of 23 years that shows a $5 trillion economy is a realistic target." Further "when I talk of Modi's guarantees, I bind myself to it. It propels me to work harder. It leads me to give everything to the people."