LyrArc Article Gist
India says China carefully prepared an attack on Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley mountain ridges, at Ladakh's border with China. 20 Indian soldiers were killed and 76 injured. This report in the Guardian shows satellite images of the Galwan Valley taken by Planet Labs, an imaging company. The images show that days before the clash there was increased activity on the Chinese side, including the damming of a river and the movement of troops and machinery close to the disputed and poorly demarcated border. Australian Strategic Policy Institute says its analysis of satellite images shows PLA Chinese forces regularly crossing into Indian territory temporarily on routine patrol routes. Indian officials also say commanders from both sides met on 13 June and agreed to each retreat back 2 kilometres in the Galwan Valley and Pangong Lake area. For unknown reasons Chinese troops instead of retreating as agreed erected a tent on disputed territory close to Patrolling Point 14. India's 16 Bihar Regiment led by Col Santosh Babu, dismantled the structure in an attempt to push back the PLA troops. According to accounts given to the Hindu newspaper cited here in the Guardian, Babu and his troops later went to the Chinese side to challenge the refusal to retreat, they were ambushed by Chinese forces on the steep mountain precipice. Chinese PLA troops allegedly unblocked the dammed river, releasing a rush of water to destabilise Indian soldiers, and attacked with stones and makeshift spiked weapons. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
The effect of farm protests on India Canada relations after Mr. Trudeau's remarks as he faces a possible snap election in 2021. About half of Canada's Indian immigrants of 1.6 million people are from the Punjab.

LyrArc Article Gist
British prime minister Boris Johnson to make planned trip to India this week for talks with prime minister Modi, visit to Gujarat, and efforts to expand trade and defense relations. An earlier trip was postponed due to coronavirus surge.

LyrArc Article Gist
This editorial in the Times of India says China's new border law that goes into effect on Jan 1, 2022, aims to tighten control over border areas, with strengthening of border defenses and integration of border populations. It says this means border relations will not be affected by improvements in bilateral relations. China is rejecting the Indian position for border standoffs to be settled through improvements in bilateral relations in other areas. The Times Editorial says that an "aggressive, inflexible, belligerent China" is what India now faces. 

LyrArc Article Gist
India lags way behind China in electric vehicles. About 1.35 million electric automobiles on Chinese streets compared to about 6000 on Indian streets. Where India is ahead is in the electric rickshaws, 3 wheeled vehicles that form an important part of public transportation in India. About 132,000 electric rickshaws are added each year and annual sales of $1.5 billion are expected to increase by 9% by 2021. These electric three wheeler rickshaws are cheaper to operate, cleaner and more profitable to operate, making it attractive for operators of gasoline rickshaws to switch to e-rickshaws. Kinetic Engineering and Mahindra & Mahindra are the largest manufacturers in India.  About 695,000 three wheeler electric vehicles were sold in India for the fiscal year ending in March, with a 24% increase over the prior year. India's Ministry of Finance is planning to invest 40 billion rupees or $600 million over the next 5 years to promote charging infrastructure and e-buses. The government's focus is on promoting electric vehicles for taxis, buses and two or three wheeler vehicles. This is expected to reduce air pollution in Indian cities. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
The world's larges vaccine supplier Serum Institute of India syas it will not be able to meet its target production of 2 billion doses for 2021. It says vaccines will not be available for export from the Institute till the end of the year. The Indian government has initiated an effort to diversify its vaccine production by distributing it among many suppliers in India's large pharmaceutical industry so that constraints at any one supplier would not affect the overall supply for use inside India and the production that can be sent overseas.

Another setback was seen in the US as 100 million doses of J&J one dose vaccine at a Baltimore plant are being checked for contamination.

LyrArc Article Gist
Following an Indian proposal 2023 has been declared as the 'International Year of Millets.' Millet will be an integral part of G-20 meetings in India. There are about 6000 varieties of Millets cereal crops with varying colors and textures around the world. They are more nutritious than rice or wheat. For farmers it requires less water as millets do well on dry land, and require less fertilizer or pesticide.

LyrArc Article Gist
Ellen Barry's interview with Yogi Nagendra in which Nagendra talks about meditation yoga and how it is practiced in India. Nagendra has known prime minister Modi since 1984 and has provided 4 yoga meetings to Mr. Modi and his ministers in Gujarat when he was Chief Minister of the state, till today as prime minister. This Yoga concentrates on meditation and tries to calm the mind as described in the Kena Upanishad (the classics of the Indian philosophy of Vedanta which form the basis of Yoga).

"The eye does not go there, nor speech, nor the mind. It is different from what is known, and what is unknown."

It is through constant and repeated practice that this meditation yoga can through concentration and yearning help one to reach a level of calmness that is a form of samadhi. Samadhi produces a level of calm and serenity mostly unknown to man.

LyrArc Article Gist
Bipin Rawat says the best approach to security for India is one of dissuasive deterrance. For the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean region a multilateral presence with the U.S. Australia, and Japan is seen as the most effective way to maintain open seas.

LyrArc Article Gist
Sadanand Dhume points out the change in women's fertility rate that will add one more factor to improvement in the quality of life and access to resources in India. This comes as development projects, infrastructure, logistics, is being built in the north at a pace unprecedented in history. Women's fertility rate has dropped below the replacement rate of 2.1 in India. Because of the youthful population with median age of 28 in India population will peak at 1.6 billion in 2050 making India the largest country by population in the world- with one in 6 people on the planet in India. From a fertility rate of 6 in 1960 in India, with each woman having 6 babies, it is down to 3 by 2005 and 2 in 2021. This shows the effect of sustained development over time, which is also evident in agricultural production where India is now self sufficient in food. For many years the Hindi speaking heartland suffered from poor governance and mismanagement of the economy- the region that covers Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh has a population of 250 million, Bihar 131 million and Madhya Pradesh 86 million, for a total of 467 million about the size of North America or the European Union. It is this region that is now pushing a development agenda today more than any other region in India with the joint effort of both the federal and state, local, governments in a way that is unprecedented in Indian history. Because of the Gati Shakti Master Plan, Atman Nirbhar Make in India Plan, and push for local is vocal, the infrastructure efforts in building roads, highways, airports and logistics, the advances in digitization and use of new technologies, there is an added boost with new synergies in this development effort. A new airport and logistics setup at Noida in Uttar Pradesh will be the largest in Asia, a new Ganga Expressway is planned, and many development projects are being launched in Varanasi, Prayagraj and other cities in UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh. Leaders at the federal level Mr. Modi, Mr. Piyush Goyal, and at the state level Mr. Adityanath, are pushing the development projects at a pace that will make these areas the fastest developing in India, and quite possibly the world, in a the next 3-5 years. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
India experienced heat waves in March 2022, with the affected areas including Gujarat, Uttarkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh. The IMD, Indian Meteorological Department declared India's first heat wave on March 11, and several heat waves since then.  IMD declares a heat wave when temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit at low elevation. A heat wave is also considered to be taking place when temperatures are 4.5 degrees above normal, with 6.4 degrees called "severe." Senior climate scientists at IMD say heat waves in India are now more frequent and severe with unusual weather conditions in 2022.

2021 and 2022 reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warn that South Asia  faces conditions for heat waves and humidity related heat stress in coming decades. Marine heat waves are also more frequent.

LyrArc Article Gist
Temperatures not seen or ever recorded by weather monitoring systems of 126 degrees Fahrenheit in New Delhi, India's capital May 30, 2024. This is 52.3 degrees Centigrade, with dangerous sweltering heat across all of northern India. Delhi's Lt. Governor called for paid leave for Delhi construction workers for 1-3 pm. Election rallies in India's general election drawing huge crowds even in such sweltering heat shows the impatience of the population of over 1 billion people with corruption and poor governance in some states and the efforts by prime minister Modi to ensure good governance and large investments for modernization of the Indian economy in infrastructure and transportation, logistics and manufacturing. It may be astounding to realize that voting still reached 68-71% of eligible voters in such weather conditions. India is the fastest growing economy in the world and now a beacon of progress in the middle of stalled efforts throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America following the pandemic, yet it too faces challenges from climate change just as severe as in the rest of the world with heat waves, floods and wildfires. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
After denying clearances for development projects for three decades, the Indian Supreme Court green bench of Justices Gavai and Vikram Nath clears 118 development projects already delayed for 5 years for pending litigation. 118 projects were cleared, including 15 held up for 10 years, based on the "sustainable development" idea that takes a look at the bigger picture, the aspirations of youth, and the bigger possibilities for renewables and environment with a bigger economy. It shows how India which at one time in 1990 had about the same GDP as China, has today one fifth the GDP of China, and with it lacks the same scale of investment for renewable energy and climate change action that China has because of China's larger economy. In this sense the whole country of 1.2 billion Indians, including hundreds of millions of farmers and urban residents, the Supreme Court and India's institutions, have suffered more than the one lost decade the prime minister referred to in the Budget session of parliament. It is more like three decades since China pushed ahead after 1990. China having suffered from the Japanese invasion and civil war for three decades in the 1920-49 period and three decades of drift in economic direction following 1949. India faced its own period of failed governance that matches the failures in China by 1990. The SC bench stated- "The Supreme Court is flooded with applications after applications, seeking permissions to construct primary schools, public health centers, anganwadi centers, an other public utility buildings in remote areas. Himachal Pradesh is constrained to approach the Supreme Court even for seeking permission to connect villages in remote areas by roads. Needless to state, the citizens residing in the remote areas cannot be deprived of the developmental activities that are being done in other parts of the country."  The Supreme Court called it ridiculous that the states were required to rush to the Supreme Court to do the minimal developmental activities.  That the Supreme Court and other institutions have taken so long to say and do this is itself one of the reasons India has fallen behind China. It will need to accelerate its efforts, in the way that the rest of the country and the world is doing to create an environment in which development can meet the aspirations of the Indian people. Efforts for climate change action can take place at the same time with bigger investment capabilities from the larger economy and advanced technological capabilities. The two can and do go together, a point missed for far too long.  An approach even the US has grasped and is doing under president Biden. The US has gone through its own period of failed governance for four decades of neglect of manufacturing and infrastructure that president Biden talked about in his State of the Union address to the US Congress last week.  Biden now sees the problem itself as an opportunity to get it right. So can India.   ...

LyrArc Article Gist
India's broadband prices have dropped to the point where they are the lowest in the world. A UK comparison site shows 1 gigabyte of mobile data  costs $0.26 in India compare to $12.37 in the U.S. and $6.66 in the UK, and globally about $8.53.  Reliance Jio the company which dropped prices starting in 2016, says it is using voice and data on a spectrum known only for data use. Reliance Jio is using only one fifth of its capacity. and says is it is making more revenue per user than competitors. Competitors including Airtel and Vodafone have lowered prices reducing margins of as high as 30 percent to being barely profitable. Reliance Jio gives away its 4G feature phone JioPhone against refundable security deposit of $21, with plans of $1 a month. The handset supports Wifi and WhatsApp. India ha 1.17 mobile subscriptions, 55% in urban areas. Most broadband use now comes from Jio. Mobile data consumption has jumped in India in 2 years to more than 10GB per user per month, which is close to that in the U.S.    ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Anthony Blinken says on his visit to New Delhi that shared values and democracy bind India and the US. Blinken also discussed ideas of providing Indian made vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region, and promised to strengthen vaccine supply chains to increase production.

LyrArc Article Gist
One way to ease the supply of oil cutoff from the Middle East to Asia (to India, Japan and South Korea) is to ease sanctions on the oil on tankers on the sea (large inventories at sea) and from Russia. US president DJT says -“We have sanctions on some countries, we are going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out. And then who knows, maybe we won’t have to put them on because there will be so much peace." 

Treasury Secretary Bessent says the same thing that “waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices," would be good way to ease the impact of the war on prices.

This will help Russia balance its budget and who knows it may make it possible to open up new discussions for peace in Ukraine as the US acts as an intermediary in negotiations to end the war. From the larger interest of US, China, India + Indonesia, of Russia and Ukraine, and of Europe,it makes sense to end that war.

LyrArc Article Gist
GM's handling of the recall for 114,000 Chevrolet Tavera sports utility vehicles in India in July 2013. 10 employees including GM's vice president for global engine engineering were fired by CEO Dan Akerson because of misleading Indian government officials about the result of emissions tests on the Tavera. The Tavera is a $15,000 sports utility vehicle designed for the Indian market.

LyrArc Article Gist
How India finds and trains its youngest sports athletes is shown in this report from Fatehabad by Andrew Amson. A bricklayer's daughter Pooja set the Indian national record at 1.82 metres in high jump by winning silver at the Asian U-20 Games in South Korea. The amazing thing is that coaches discovered her talent for jumping even though she entered in training for yoga. With limited facilities she trained with bundles of haysticks for the pit to fall on and a bamboo stick to go over. This is also a story of how India is matching the development of sports of its neighbors Japan, China and South Korea by giving young people from every background and income level a chance to compete at the highest level. 

LyrArc Article Gist
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sends message to the BIMSTEC summit as it meets in in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is visiting Sri Lanka for the summit of Bay of Bengal Initiative countries. Modi calls for greater cooperation and free trade agreements to bring these countries together- Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, India.

LyrArc Article Gist
Mike Atherton looks at the Australia India series and sees hope for England. He says Bumrah had too heavy a burden to carry as a fast bowler missing the second innings of the last Test. Starc and Cummins are getting older now. Lyons was there but not by much. No batsmen looked confident. Not Smith or Labuschagne. Only Australia's Head and India's Jaiswal were good and consistent. Kohli and Sharma disappointed the Indians. Indian fielding was not at it's best at critical moments. 

The public responded to the contest with 833,000 coming to the Test matches in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and at the MCG, SCG Final Test.

LyrArc Article Gist
As Foreign Minister in the Moraji Desai government he met Premier Deng and restored ties with China in 1979, leading to yearly meetings that continue to this day for keeping peace- following the invasion of Tibet by China in the 1950's and the border war with India in 1962. That border in Ladakh and Arunachal is again the place of border disputes and casualties at the LAC in 2021-2022. China completes its first phase of modernization by this time, India embarks on its first phase of modernization and seeks calm on the border in alliance with the US to concentrate on development efforts. The British period in India brings with it borders set from that time. The invasion by the Japanese of China leads to Communist control following a civil war and a sense in China that it needs borders that extend to Tibet to be secure. This generates the Indian Chinese border disputes that extend from Ladakh to Arunachal in the high mountain altitudes of the Himalayas. 

LyrArc Article Gist
A new Pew Research Center Survey shows prime minister Modi enjoying 88% popularity, very high ratings for a world leader. More unusual is that Modi's popularity was 87% in a Pew Survey in 2015, showing extraordinary resilience. This comes after moves to remove the large denomination rupee notes under what is called demonetization to take out some of the black money in India and increase tax revenues that were lost due to evasion. In South Asia tax evasion is rampant, much more than in countries like Italy of the eurozone. The move was difficult as it required being sudden, and a shift to use of debit cards and ATM's which required additional effort, slowing the economy. The other moves such as on GST tax were designed to facilitate doing business in India with one tax and free movement of goods replacing different state by state taxes. Business has not responded quickly to support Modi, and the Indian economy being prepared for the long term growth Modi hopes to generate is slowing in the short term. GDP growth has dropped to 6%. A bullet train planned in western India with help from Japanese financing and technology is being criticized unfairly because of the collapse of an old bridge near a railway station in Mumbai. Bruce Stokes, Director of Global Economic Attitudes at Pew Research, says the survey was done after demonetization but before the GST tax overhaul. This is not likely to change Modi's high ratings. The GST overhaul has been on the agenda for many years for all political parties in India. The views of Modi are not necessarily the same as for his BJP party which are lower for the party, the party gaining more from Modi's efforts and leadership, including in his home state of Gujarat. ...