ANINDA GHOSH

Happy  Independence day. Welcome  to the  issue  2nd  next to Sharodiyaa. What is the toll  at Gaza?  Just to revenge  the  64 deaths  in Israel, the nazist  nation has killed  1869  people, which is an official declaration. But  who shall take care of the  trauma of the 4 lac children, who are almost in a state of coma ; the worst example of state sponsored terrorism….

To come back to India,  we have spoken at length of AFSPA issues , on which no  respite  has  come yet. Even with  Article 370 since Independence,  J&K is ruled  by army  of India and what is the degree  of independence & freedom?  We  talk of  Emergency rule of  Mrs Indira Gandhi, but what is the casualty estimation  in different tribal  belts?  At all levels, there are lacunae of  patience  & endurance, & hatred instead of brethren feel … In any college / University, if u talk plain against  apathy /  atrocity of  admin machinery, u shall be targeted & even castigated  in certain cases…

And  Castism is back with a bang …in Bihar…  and Moditva is temporarily on back foot  ,as opposition  surges ahead wrenching  a good no of seats from ruling coalition. So far so good, but  nasty caste equation – honeymooning  long time foes Nitish & Lalu joining hands   clearly dents out message to Vikashpurush, “Be aware.. castism is much above  Development planks” ..  So, surges ahead Love Jihad Hindu gurus  with long dreamt  Conversion  yatras …  priority affixed much above  Modi’s  Souchalaya above devalaya..

PM called himself a “prime servant” and cut across barricades to meet schoolchildren, looking to establish himself as the people’s PM. He also replaced the poll-campaign discourse of acrimony and partisanship with an inclusive, statesman-like language.

“This is a platform not for rajniti (politics) but rashtraniti, or national policy formulation,” he said. Nevertheless, his address was not a laundry list of new schemes — a departure from the PM's Independence Day address in the recent years. Instead, Modi focused on what his supporters called the "small ideas" that can make a "big difference".

"You would think that from the Red Fort he is talking about cleanliness and toilets, but I am speaking from the heart," the Prime Minister said."I come from a poor family and I want the poor to get dignity. We want to start a movement for a Clean India," he added, announcing an initiative to build model villages, saying nation-building had to begin from villages."Every school should build separate toilets for girls in a year so that our girl children do not leave schools."

Modi also spoke about violence against women, saying his head hung in shame to see reports of rape across the country. He said while the law will take its course, Indian society must itself be raising sons in the best possible manner."Our heads hang in shame when we hear news about rape.

"After all, a person who is raping is somebody's son. As parents have we asked our sons where he is going? We need to take responsibility to bring our sons who have deviated from the right path to bring them back," Modi said. "Skill development, skilled India is our mission. Skill development will be towards job creation and empowering the youth with skills." Modi laid stress on economic self-reliance, saying the country should strive to become a manufacturing hub for global investors with zero-defect products and zero-effect on environment. "I tell the world, Make in India," Modi said, reaching out to investors. "Sell anywhere but manufacture here. We have the skill and talent for it."

The Prime Minister added Indian enterprise must come together to think of ways by which the country does not have to import goods, but export to the world. The speech was seen as an attempt by Modi to rise above politics and reach out to a cross section of society over issues that have stoked both public anger as well as expectations from the government.

His address also struck a politically inclusive note as Modi sought to reach out not only to his principal opposition but reiterated his focus on empowering states to bolster the country's federal character. "All PMs, governments have contributed. All governments of the states have contributed. I offer my respect to all of them," Modi said. "Let us walk together, think together, and make a determination to take the nation ahead together. We are not those who want to move ahead on the basis of our mandate. We want to walk together with consensus."

The speech was eagerly awaited for bold changes and big-ticket economic reforms, given that so far the government had only announced incremental steps such as opening up foreign investment in certain sectors.

He announced an initiative to improve access to financial services for the two-fifths of Indians who lack a bank account and are often at the mercy of moneylenders who charge extortionate interest.

The new 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' will help the poor open bank accounts which will come with the facility of a debit card and an insurance cover of Rs. 1 lakh.

"The stage is now set for our economy to move on a high growth trajectory of 7-8 per cent, which is essential to ensure the availability of adequate resources for equitable development."

President Mukherjee said even though the Indian economy grew at an average 7.6 per cent in the past decade, and the expansion was subdued at 5 per cent in the past two years, he still saw optimism. "I sense renewed vigour and optimism in the air," he said.

He said India's external sector had strengthened, fiscal measures were beginning to show results, inflation had started moderating, employment had increased and manufacturing was the rebound. "However, food prices still remain a matter of serious concern. Record food grains production last year helped agriculture sector to grow at a healthy 4.7 per cent." Greeting the people ahead of I-Day, the president also said India was still young at 68 and therefore had the will, energy, intellect, values and unity to claim the 21st century.

"The vision to win the battle of freedom from poverty is set. The journey will seem formidable only to those without conviction. As an old saying goes, 'Sidhir Bhavati Karmaja', which means, success is born of action."

The Modi-led NDA government, which took charge on May 26, has allowed up to 100 per cent foreign direct investment in railways infrastructure and up to 49 per cent in defence to address large imports by indigenising defence production. Since the defence sector was opened up in 2001, it has attracted under just about $5 million in FDI. "We should strive to be a nation that doesn't import, but exports," he said, adding, "I urge youth to reduce dependence on imported products." FDI flows into India grew a muted 8 per cent in 2013-14 to $22.4 billion, owing to poor business environment that saw apprehension among foreign firms over taxation issues, among other problems. 

Industry chambers hailed Modi's speech as path-breaking and visionary. Similarly, in case of special economic zones, specific timelines have been given for processing of applications by the government, be it to set up an SEZ or to exit. India is ranked 134 among 189 countries in the WorldBank's ease of doing business index. 

Overhaul of RBI

The creation of the new post will be discussed further with the government as it will require legislative changes. "Since that position is intended to be at the DG (deputy governor) level, the position's status will have to be discussed further with the government, and then will require legislative change," said RBI. The COO will probably be entrusted with implementing the ambitious reforms that Rajan wants, including pushing financial inclusion, differentiated banks and developing new structures for financial markets, said one of the persons cited above.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had made a number of announcements in the budget on reviving manufacturing. He announced rectification of inverted duty structure, a Rs 10,000 crore micro, small & medium enterprises venture capital fund for start-ups, ecommerce platform to retail domestically produced goods, etc. The excise duty concession for auto and consumer durables was also extended by another six months. 

Making India the manufacturing hub will also mean higher exports from the country and lower imports, reducing the trade gap. "We are now confident that the 'Make in India' and 'Made in India' vision will be supported by requisite policy and implementation measures for enhancing the competitiveness of our manufacturing sector," said Ficci president Sidharth Birla.

Here's a few of them followed by Modi's quotes:

1. Make in India: "We need to build up the manufacturing sector. I want to tell the world: Come, make in India."

Why he said it: Modi reached out to investors, eyeing to make India a manufacturing hub.

2. Zero defect, zero effect: "Our manufacturing should have zero defect so that our products should not be rejected in the global market. Besides, we should also keep in mind that manufacturing should not have any negative impact on our environment."

Why he said it: The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of skilled workforce, while laying stress on the importance on protecting the environment.

3. Pradhan Sevak: "Today Indians, both in India and all over the world, are celebrating Independence Day. I convey my greetings to them not as a Pradhan Mantri, but Pradhan Sevak (prime public servant)."

Why he said it: Modi mentioned he was a servant of the people (Remember his 'chowkidar', or gatekeeper, remarks during campaigning?)

4. Digital India: "India used to be called a land of snake charmers. Today, our youth has surprised the world with its IT skills. Our dream is to build a 'Digital India'."

[ANINDA GHOSH]