August 1, 2011 Vol. 7 Issue 8

A Publication of the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.

August 1, 2011

nn To cooperate on

technology transfer,

research, development

and production of

defense items

nn Strategic consulta-

tions to expand to

regions including

Latin America and

the Caribbean

nn As part of their

global concerns,

the two sides agree

to promote food

security in Africa

india-U.s. strategic dialogue meet

External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in New Delhi on July 19.

� Vol. 7 Issue 8 � www.indianembassy.org

India Review

AmbAssAdor

meerA shAnkAr

bids fArewell

India ReviewAugust 2011

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Second IndIa-U.S. StrategIcdIalogUe conclUdeS

I ndia and the U.S. concludedthe second round of their bilat-eral Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi on July 19, 2011,

with a commitment to deepening theIndia-U.S. global strategic partner-ship. Led by Secretary of State HillaryClinton, the U.S. delegation includedDirector of National Intelligence JamesClapper, the President’s Advisor forScience and Technology Dr. John P.Holdren, Department of EnergyDeputy Secretary Daniel Poneman,Department of Homeland SecurityDeputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute, andother senior U.S. government officials.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. M. Krishna led the Indian delega-tion that included the DeputyChairman of Planning Commission ofIndia, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Prime Minister’s Public InformationInfrastructure and Innovations AdvisorSam Pitroda, Foreign SecretaryNirupama Rao, and other senior offi-cials. Minister Krishna was also joinedat the working lunch by HomeMinister P. Chidambaram and Ministerfor Human Resource Developmentand Information Technology KapilSibal. The India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue

provides an opportunity to take stockof the progress in bilateral relationship,cooperation, as well as to consult onglobal and regional issues of mutualinterest, besides charting out a short tomedium-term road map of coopera-tion in priority sectors by the two governments. During the meeting, the two coun-

tries reviewed the progress made inbilateral relations since the inauguralStrategic Dialogue in June 2010 andthe subsequent historic India visit ofPresident Obama’s in November 2010in advancing the shared interests ofboth the countries.

The Strategic Dialogue provides an opportunity to take stock of the progress in bilateralrelationship, bilateral cooperation, as well as to consult on global and regional issues

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh during her recent visit to New Delhi.


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Both the sides recognized that theirstrategic consultations have expandedto cover all major issues and regions ofthe world. India and the U.S. haveincreased counter-terrorism coopera-tion, intelligence sharing, and lawenforcement exchanges. The twocountries have significantly expandedtheir defense cooperation and partner-ship on export controls and non-prolif-eration. They have also witnessed anexpansion of the already robust people-to-people ties; scientific, space, andtechnology collaboration; clean energycooperation; and connections amongentrepreneurs and social innovators. Addressing a Joint Press Conference

after his meeting with SecretaryClinton, EAM Krishna said, “TheStrategic Dialogue is the bedrock onwhich we are building our globalstrategic partnership that would be oneof the defining relationships of the 21stcentury. This is the vision of PrimeMinister Dr. Manmohan Singh andPresident Obama.”Describing the meeting as very

“productive”, Secretary Clinton said:“We are building habits of cooperationand bonds of trust. And we are stand-ing on a firm foundation. We believethat we can do even more work toensure that this important dialogueleads to concrete and coordinatedsteps that will produce measurableprogress for the well-being and betterment of the Indian and Americanpeople.”Minister Krishna and Secretary

Clinton laid emphasis on the valuesthat India and the U.S. share — pluralism, tolerance, openness, andrespect for fundamental rights andhuman rights. They reiterated Prime Minister Dr. ManmohanSingh’s and President Barack Obama’spledge to harness the shared strengthsand to expand the India-U.S. globalpartnership for the benefit of theircountries; and, for peace, stability, andprosperity in Asia and the world.

Global Stability and ProSPerity

The second meeting of the India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue stressed onthe issues of global stability and pros-perity. Both India and the U.S.expressed their intention to expandstrategic consultations to otherregions, such as Latin America and theCaribbean, and hold the fourth roundof the East Asia Dialogue in September2011.During the meeting, the two coun-

tries welcomed the launch of bilateral

External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna at talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on July 19 in New Delhi.

Reviewing the progressmade in their bilateralrelations, the secondannual meeting of the India-U.S. StrategicDialogue, held in

New Delhi, stressed onthe issues of global

stability and prosperity


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dialogue on matters concerning theUnited Nations in New Delhi in March2011. The two countries intend tocontinue this dialogue and meet next inWashington in early 2012, while continuing regular consultations. India and the U.S. reaffirmed their

commitment for consultation, coordi-nation, and cooperation in Afghanistan,and to work jointly in areas of capacitybuilding, agriculture and women’sempowerment in Afghanistan, andexpanding the work already under way.The two sides also acknowledged thatincreased trade, and commercial linkages across South and Central Asiawould benefit Afghanistan and contribute toward the region’s long-term peace, stability, and prosperity.

As part of their global concerns, thetwo sides agreed to promote foodsecurity in Africa through a triangularcooperation program with Liberia,Malawi and Kenya. As part of the India-U.S. Dialogue

on Open Government launched inNovember 2010, the two countrieshad committed to jointly create anopen source ‘Data.gov’ platform bythe first quarter of 2012 to be taken tovarious countries globally. Leveragingthe technological strengths and insti-tutional expertise of both India and theUnited States, the open source plat-form is intended to provide citizensaccess to government information viaa user-friendly website and a packageof e-governance applications to

enhance public service delivery. The two sides reiterated their

commitment to work together tostrengthen election managementcapacity in interested countries. Theywelcomed the technical collaborationbetween the Indian InternationalInstitute of Democracy and ElectionManagement and the Washington DCbased International Federation ofElectoral Systems. Secretary Clinton recalled President

Obama’s statement that, in the yearsahead, the United States would lookforward to a reformed UN SecurityCouncil that includes India as aPermanent Member.

enhancinG the india-U.S.bilateral relationShiP

defense, security and counter-terrorism

Both India and the U.S. reiteratedtheir commitment to further strength-ening counter-terrorism cooperation,through various measures, such asintelligence sharing, informationexchange, operational cooperation,and access to advanced counter-terrorism technology and equipment. Secretary Clinton and Minister

Krishna said that success inAfghanistan and regional and globalsecurity required elimination of safehavens and infrastructure for terror-ism and violent extremism inAfghanistan and Pakistan.Condemning terrorism in all its forms,both the countries reiterated theircommitment to comprehensive sharing of information in the investi-gations and trials relating to theNovember 2008 Mumbai terrorattack. On July 19, 2011, the Computer

Emergency Response Teams (CERT-IN and US-CERT) of both the countries signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) to exchangeinformation on cyber attacks andmutual response to cyber security incidents; to cooperate on cyber security technology; to exchange information on cyber security policyand best practices, and capacity building and exchange of experts.

EAM Krishna with Secretary Clinton.


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India and the United States wel-comed progress in bilateral defensecooperation. The two sides noted thatIndia’s defense orders from the U.S.companies had reached a cumulativevalue of over $8 billion in the lastdecade. Both sides also affirmed theirdesire to strengthen cooperationthrough technology transfer, and jointresearch, development and productionof defense items. Both the countries also took note of

the progress made in defense bilater-al exchanges, exercises, capacitybuilding, information sharing,including in areas of counter nar-cotics, counter piracy, maritime safety and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief. The two sides affirmedthe importance of maritime security,unimpeded commerce, and freedomof navigation, in accordance withinternational law, and peaceful settle-ment of disputes. India and the U.S.also agreed to exchange views onpromoting regional security architec-ture that enhances maritime securityin the Indian Ocean Region.

civil nUclear cooPeration

Minister Krishna and SecretaryClinton welcomed the continued com-mitment of the two governments to fullimplementation of the India-U.S. civilnuclear energy cooperation agreement.They reiterated their commitment tobuilding strong civil nuclear energycooperation by encouraging the participation of nuclear energy firmsfrom the U.S. in India on the basis ofmutually acceptable technical andcommercial terms and conditions thatenable a viable tariff regime for theelectricity generated. The two leaders were gratified that

the United States had ratified theConvention on SupplementaryCompensation (CSC) and that Indiaintended to ratify the CSC within this year. They further noted that India was

committed to ensuring a level-playingfield for U.S. companies seeking toenter the Indian nuclear energy sector,consistent with India’s national andinternational legal obligations.

Plan for StrenGtheninG india-U.S.

nUclear SecUrity

During the deliberations, two sidesagreed that they looked forward toholding, later this year, the first meetingof the India-U.S. Joint Working Groupto implement the memorandum ofunderstanding signed between the twocountries on Cooperation with India’sGlobal Centre for Nuclear EnergyPartnerships.

MeMberShiP of exPort control

reGiMeS

Both India and the U.S. expressedsatisfaction with the progress madetoward India’s full membership of thefour multilateral export controlregimes — the Nuclear SuppliersGroup, Missile Technology ControlRegime, Australia Group and theWassennaar Arrangement — in aphased manner consistent with the

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton duringher visit to New Delhi called on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on

July 19. During his meeting with SecretaryClinton, Finance Minister Mukherjee said thatIndia gave high importance to the India-U.S.Strategic and Economic Partnership. He pointed out that India was carrying its reformsagenda further by introducing major changesin the tax sector.

Mukherjee said that in the field of directtaxes, efforts were on to make Direct Tax Code(DTC) effective from 1st April, 2012. In thefield of indirect taxes, he said, efforts werealso on to build a consensus among all stake-

holders, including state governments to makethe Goods and Services Tax (GST) effective atthe earliest.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Clintonhoped that the relationship between India andthe U.S. in the field of trade, infrastructureinvestment, business, defense and strategicmatters would be further strengthened. Shesaid that the U.S. and India had an excellentworking relationship especially in the field ofeconomic and financial partnership. She fur-ther added that India could play a major rolein enhancing regional economic cooperationand optimizing the large potential available inthis region.

Secretary clinton calls on Finance

Minister Pranab Mukherjee

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.


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core principles of these regimes, as theGovernment of India takes stepstoward the full adoption of theregimes’ export control requirements.

exPort control cooPeration

India welcomed the steps taken bythe United States to remove Indianentities from the U.S. Department ofCommerce’s ‘Entity List’ and therealignment of India in the U.S. exportcontrol regulations. Both sides agreedto continue efforts to fulfill the objec-tives of strengthening export controlcooperation envisaged in the JointStatement of November 2010 as wellas on the basis of discussions in theHigh Technology Cooperation Groupheld earlier this month.

SPace

The US–India Joint Space WorkingGroup on Civil Space Cooperation metin July 2011 inBangalore. Buildingon the successfulChandrayan-I lunarmission, NASA andISRO reviewedpotential areas forfuture cooperation inearth observation,space exploration,space sciences andsatellite navigation.Both sides agreed toan early finalization of three newimplementing arrangements for shar-ing satellite data on oceans and globalweather patterns. Recognizing theresearch opportunities available on theInternational Space Station, both sidesagreed to explore the possibilities ofjoint experiments.

edUcation, innovation, Science and

technoloGy

The two countries expressed theirintention to host a Higher EducationSummit in Washington D.C. onOctober 13 to highlight and emphasizethe avenues through which the highereducation communities in India andthe United States collaborate. India the United States plan to

expand the higher education dialogue,

to be co-chaired by the U.S. Secretaryof State and Indian Minister forHuman Resource Development, andto be convened annually. They alsointend to incorporate the private/non-governmental sectors and highereducation communities to inform gov-ernment-to-government discussions. The United States had created the

“Passport to India” initiative toencourage an increase in the numberof American students studying andinterning in India. The leaders recog-nized the great bridge of mutualunderstanding resulting from the morethan 100,000 Indian students studyingand interning in the United States. In the field of science and technolo-

gy, the United States’ Department ofEnergy and India’s Department ofAtomic Energy signed anImplementing Agreement onDiscovery Science that provides the

framework for coop-eration in acceleratorand particle detectorresearch and devel-opment at FermiNational AcceleratorLaboratory, ThomasJefferson NationalAccelerator Facility,and BrookhavenNational Laboratory. The India-U.S.

Science &Technology Endowment Board,established by Secretary Clinton andMinister Krishna in 2009, plans toaward nearly $3 million annually toentrepreneurial projects that com-mercialize technologies to improvehealth and empower citizens.As a follow-up to the successful

India-U.S. Innovation Roundtableheld in September 2010 in NewDelhi, the two sides agreed to holdanother Innovation Roundtable inearly 2012. India and the United States

welcomed the 30 percent increase inbilateral trade in 2010 in comparisonto the previous year and the balancedand positive growth in services trade. They also welcomed theincrease in foreign direct investment

n The second meeting of the India-U.S.Strategic Dialogue stressed on theissues of global stability and prosperity.

n Both India and the U.S expressed theirintention to expand strategic consulta-tions to other regions, including LatinAmerica and the Caribbean.

n The two sides reaffirmed their commit-ment to consultation, coordination, andcooperation in Afghanistan.

n As part of their global concerns, thetwo sides agreed to promote food secu-rity in Africa through a triangular coop-eration program with Liberia, Malawiand Kenya.

n The two sides reiterated their commit-ment to working together to strengthenelection management capacity in interested countries.

n Secretary Clinton recalled PresidentObama’s statement that, in the yearsahead, the United States looks forwardto a reformed UN Security Council thatincludes India as a Permanent Member.

n The United States and India signed aMemorandum of Understandingbetween the Computer EmergencyResponse Teams (CERT-IN and US-CERT)of both the countries to exchange infor-mation on cyber attacks and mutualresponse to cyber security incidents; tocooperate on cyber security technology;and to exchange information on cybersecurity policy and best practices andcapacity building and exchange ofexperts.

n Both sides also affirmed their desire tostrengthen cooperation through tech-nology transfer, and joint research,development and production ofdefense items.

n India and the U.S. affirmed the impor-tance of maritime security, unimpededcommerce, and freedom of navigation, inaccordance with international law, andthe peaceful settlement of disputes.

n The two sides cited the signing of aBilateral Aviation Safety Agreement(BASA) on July 18, 2011 as a big stepforward.

n Minister Krishna and Secretary Clintonwelcomed the continued commitmentof the Indian and American govern-ments to full implementation of theIndia-U.S. civil nuclear energy coopera-tion agreement.

HIgHlIgHtS oF tHeSecond IndIa-U.S.

StrategIc dIalogUe

India and the U.S. welcomed the

30 percent increase inbilateral trade in2010 over the

previous year and thepositive growth inservices trade


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Hillary clinton visits chennai

Secretary of State Hillary Rodhan Clinton,who was in India to attend the secondround of India-U.S.Strategic dialogue,

visited Chennai, the capital of the southernIndian state of Tamil Nadu, on July 20.

Addressing an audience of students, opinion makers and other citizens for nearly45 minutes at the newly-built and the country’s largest public library — the AnnaCentenary Library — Secretary Clinton saidher country was relying on India to open itstrade for the prosperity of its own peopleand that of other nations in Asia.

“We are banking on India’s future.Opening of India’s market will result in prosperous India and South Asia. We arebetting on the advances made in science andtechnology that will enrich the human lives.India’s vibrant democracy will also producegood results,” she said.

Referring to the relationship betweenIndia and the US, Secretary Clinton said: “I find there are those who raise questionsabout the relationship between the twocountries. We two are different nations. Butthe common interest is stepping up the economic relationship.”

Citing the Strategic Dialogue between thetwo countries, Secretary Clinton said she hadmet with a wide array of Indian officials andthe work had produced good results.

She added that the Indian and American

governments were working on clean energy,climate change control, protecting cyberspace and on increasing bilateral trade.

Stating that India’s leadership role in theglobal space was growing, SecretaryClinton said the two countries could worktogether in promoting democratic values inthe Middle East and other regions. Sheadded that the role of the ElectionCommission of India in sharing its bestpractices in conducting polls with Egyptand others was valuable.

Secretary Clinton said India and the U.S.were working together at the G20 forum topromote clean energy, climate change andother areas. She also said the two countrieswere working on nuclear non-proliferationand called upon Iran to abide by internation-al norms. According to her, democracy, economics, climate change, nuclear non-pro-liferation were the major areas whereAmerican and Indian interests converge.

Recalling the old Silk Route that connected Europe, Egypt, Arabia, CentralAsia, India and ultimately China, she said anew Silk Route needed to be established.

During her visit, Secretary Clinton alsocalled on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa at the state secretariat. Both leaders had long discussions on trade, investments, and on social and political issues.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivering a speech at the Anna Centenary Library in Chennaion July 20, 2011.

flows in both directions. The two governments expressed

their intent to resume technical-levelnegotiations on a bilateral investmenttreaty (BIT) in August in WashingtonD.C. A BIT would enhance trans-parency and predictability forinvestors, and support economicgrowth and job creation in both thecountries. The two sides reiterated their com-

mitment to expanding trade ties. TheIndia-U.S. Trade Policy Forum plansto meet in October 2011, while on-going public-private discussions are tocontinue under the ambit of theCommercial Dialogue. They hailed the signing of a Bilateral

Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) onJuly 18, 2011. The two leaders welcomed the

progress in the U.S. TradeDevelopment Agency (USTDA) sup-ported bilateral Energy CooperationProgram, announced in November2010, which works with Indian andU.S. businesses on deployment ofclean energy technology in India. Secretary Clinton thanked Minister

Krishna, the Government, and thepeople of India for the gracious hospi-tality, warm welcome, and India’s hardwork in making this year’s StrategicDialogue a success. Secretary Clintonthanked Minister Krishna for hisstrong support for the India-U.S. relationship. Minister Krishna thanked the

Secretary for her participation andengagement in this year’s StrategicDialogue and for the commitment anddedication she had given to the India-U.S. global partnership. As part of Secretary Clinton’s visit to

India, she met with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Chairperson ofthe United Progressive Alliance Sonia Gandhi, Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee, Leader of theOpposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, and NationalSecurity Advisor Shivshankar Menon. The next meeting of the India-U.S.

Strategic Dialogue is planned forWashington D.C. in 2012.


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India, U.S. sign aviation safety agreement

In a significant development,India and the United Statessigned the Bilateral AviationSafety Agreement (BASA) on

July 18 in New Delhi. India represen-tative Dr. Nasim Zaidi, Secretary, CivilAviation and U.S. Representative J. Randolph Babbitt, Administrator,Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)signed the agreement in the presenceof senior officials from the CivilAviation Ministry, Directorate Generalof Civil Aviation, Airports Authority ofIndia from the Indian side and FAAand U.S. Trade and DevelopmentAgency from the U.S. side. The sign-ing of the agreement coincided withthe visit of U.S. Secretary of State,Hillary Clinton, to India. BASA will facilitate reciprocal

airworthiness certification of civil aeronautical products imported orexported between the two signatoryauthorities and acceptance of Indianaeronautical products by the U.S.The aircraft manufacturing industry

in India is expected to benefit as aresult of the new agreement.

The agreement is also expected tospur trade between India and the U.S.BASA would also encourage theindigenous aircraft and aeronauticalproducts industry and the U.S. acceptance of Indian products wouldhelp the industry to achieve global

acceptance of its products. The BASA is expected to lead to the

signing of the ImplementationProcedures for Airworthiness, whichprovides for technical cooperationbetween FAA and its counterpart civilaviation authorities.

Dr. Nasim Zaidi (left), Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and Randolph Babbitt (center), FAAAdministrator, signing the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement, in New Delhi on July 18.

Climate change engagement set to deepen

I ndia’s Minister of state forEnvironment and Forests(Independent Charge) Jayanthi

Natarajan on July 19 met with a high-level U.S. delegation led bySpecial Envoy for Climate ChangeTodd Stern in New Delhi. The twosides discussed scientific and technical cooperation between the twocountries on issues relating to climatechange. Natarajan brought out theIndian perspective about the Long-term Cooperative Action (LCA)and Kyoto Protocol under the BaliRoad Map before the U.S. delegation.The two sides exchanged views on

bilateral issues and the ongoing climatechange negotiations in the multilateralforum under the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC). They also agreedthat operationalization of the decisionagreed upon at the CancunConference in a balanced mannershould be the goal for the meeting of the Conference of Parties underUNFCCC at Durban, in December 2011.Natarajan said it was important to

remain engaged on issues suchas equity, accelerated transfer oftechnologies and trade measuresat and beyond the DurbanConference and on the crucialrole of India-U.S. programsregarding the science of climatechange to further strengthen thebilateral engagement. Stern conveyed his views on

transparency arrangements, i.e.International Assessment and

Review (IAR) for developed countriesand International Consultations andAnalysis (ICA) for developing coun-tries, the principles and approaches forfunctioning of the Green ClimateFund, the Technology Mechanism, theFinancial Mechanism and the legalform of the Agreed Outcome of theLCA process.

Jayanthi Natarajan (right) with Todd Stern in New Delhi

BilateralNEWS


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Science & Technology coordination to accelerate

I ndia and the UnitedStates have agreedto step up Science& Technology coor-

dination in areas relating toenergy, agriculture, afford-able health care, nutritionand monsoon forecasting.This was agreed upon dur-ing a meeting between Dr. John P. Holdren,Advisor to the U.S.President for Science &Technology and Directorof the White House Officeof Science and Technologyand India’s Minister ofState for Planning, Science& Technology and EarthSciences, Dr. AshwaniKumar, in New Delhi onJuly 18. The meeting was held in the context

of the India-U.S. Strategic Dialogueheld in New Delhi. India and the U.S.have embarked upon a strategic rela-tionship which specifically identifiesscience, technology and innovation asa major focus of future relationship inthe 21st century.In his address Dr. Kumar stated that

there were major issues to beaddressed in the areas of food, agricul-ture, nutrition, energy and water.

He said the need for further researchon forecasting various natural hazardslike cyclones and that usage of instrumental spectra aircraft wasessential in this regard. Dr. Holdren agreed to look into this

matter. He also appreciated India forsharing data on issues relating to mon-soon and flood and agreed to further strengthen the exchange ofdata. Dr. Kumar raised the issue offacilitating exchange of scientists fromboth the countries by removing bottle-

necks relating to visas forscience and technologyprofessionals. He urged fora liberal visa regime toensure seamless issuance ofvisas for Indian scientistswilling to work in theUnited States. He alsoexpressed India’s prepared-ness to substantiallyincrease resource invest-ment in promoting agricul-tural crops leading toaffordable innovation in keysectors. Dr. Holdren also

responded favorably toaddressing issues such asvisa for science and technology professionalsand the need for stepping

up resources for science and technol-ogy cooperation between the two countries.There was general consensus on

substantially increasing financial outlayby both the sides. For example, theIndia-U.S. Science and TechnologyEndowment Fund, which is currentlypegged at $30 million, could have itscorpus increased and the current allocation of $50 million for both thesides for next 5 years could beenhanced to $100 million.

Ashwani Kumar (left) with Dr. John P. Holdren in New Delhi on July 18.

India, U.S. explore cooperation in renewable energy

India and the U.S. discussed arange of possibilities for coopera-tion in the field of renewable

energy during a meeting betweenIndia’s Minister for New & RenewableEnergy Dr. Farooq Abdullah and U.S.Deputy Secretary, Department ofEnergy, Daniel B. Poneman, in NewDelhi on July 19. The two leadersnoted that solar energy, wind energyand bio-fuels are some of the areaswhere the two countries can cooperateunder the India-U.S. Energy Dialogue. India has called for enhancing coop-

eration with the USA in the field of

renewable energy by extending it tonew areas such as small hydro-power,technology transfer and storage ofrenewable energy. The Indian side also

suggested cooperation in theintegration of solar and windenergy, small grid and policyframework for enhancingdeployment of renewable energyin the energy mix. Dr. Abdullah explained the

initiatives and steps taken byIndia to enhance deployment ofrenewable energy in the country.In this respect, he made a special

mention of the Jawahar Lal NehruNational Solar Mission which aims atharnessing the vast potential of solarenergy in India.

Dr. Farooq Abdullah with Daniel B. Poneman

BilateralNEWS

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AMBASSADOR’S ENGAGEMENTS

AMBASSADOR MEERA SHANKAR BIDSFAREWELL TO WASHINGTON

Ambassador Meera Shankar completed her assign-ment as Ambassador of India to the United Stateson July 31, 2011.

The U.S. Department of State hosted a reception to bidher farewell on July 26, 2011, which was attended by seniormembers of the U.S. Administration and other keyAmbassadors. Ambassador Meera Shankar also called onthe U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her office.Secretary Clinton said, “On behalf of the American peopleand the Obama Administration, I extend my best wishes to you as your celebrated tenure as the Ambassadorof India comes to an end. I thank you for your service andremain deeply grateful to you for helping to strengthen theimportant partnership between our two countries.”

The Indian Community of the Greater Washington Areahosted a reception for the Ambassador on July 24, 2011 atwhich Ambassador Robert Blake, Jr., Assistant Secretary ofState for South and Central Asia Bureau was the keynotespeaker. Ambassador Blake highlighted the immense contribution made by his friend, Ambassador Shankar, inserving India’s interests in Washington in an energetic andinnovative manner. He and his colleagues in the StateDepartment worked closely and cohesively withAmbassador Shankar and her team in advancing India-U.S.ties through this period of intense and broad-based engage-ment, which covered two state visits, two rounds of theStrategic Dialogue, and many other Ministerial visits anddialogues. He said he found Ambassador Shankar’s out-reach in Washington striking.

Ambassador Shankar hosted two receptions on July 25,2011 and on July 28, 2011 for the Indian American com-munity and her American interlocutors respectively. TheIndian American community was represented by all theleading associations in the Greater Washington Area andfrom across the country. The Governors of Maryland andAlabama also sent special citations to Ambassador Shankarfor promoting ties between India and their states.

The reception on July 28, 2011 was attended by over 200guests including U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy DanielPoneman, Deputy Secretary of State for Political AffairsWilliam Burns, Director of National Intelligence, JamesClapper, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energyand Agricultural Affairs Robert Hormats, CongressmanJohn Larson, Administrator of USAID Rajiv Shah, andother senior representatives from the U.S. Government,U.S. Congress, business organizations, universities andthink tanks.

Ambassador Shankar thanked the guests for all their sup-port and cooperation in advancing the India-U.S. StrategicPartnership. She recalled the very successful visit of PrimeMinister Manmohan Singh to the U.S. in November 2009

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AMBASSADOR’S ENGAGEMENTS

and President Obama’s visit to India in November 2010 andoutlined the growth of the relationship between the two coun-tries, which at its present level, touches all aspects of humanendeavor. She recalled various incidents during her tenure asAmbassador in Washington, which not only added strength tothe relationship between India and the United States, but alsogave flavor to her life as a diplomat. Recollecting the contri-butions of friends from all walks of life — political, diplomat-ic, cultural, literary, business, academic and others,Ambassador Shankar said that every step had added to thefurther strengthening of the India-U.S. relationship andexpressed her gratitude for their encouragement and support.

In his remarks, Deputy Secretary of Energy DanielPoneman spoke highly of Ambassador Shankar. He saidthat in his long experience of dealing with foreign digni-taries, he had found her to be one of the most effective andinfluential diplomats that he had come across. She wasalways well-prepared, eloquent and at the same time rea-sonable as she pursued her country’s interests, Ponemansaid. He added that during Ambassador Shankar’s tenure,India-U.S. relations underwent a historic transformationand her personal contribution to this was significant.

Under Secretary Hormats said that representing India inthe United States was a challenging task and thatAmbassador Shankar had been very successful in doing sonot only with all branches of the government but also withthe Congress and Senate, the business community, thinktanks and the media. She traveled extensively across theUnited States and projected India even to those who hadvery little knowledge of the country and its achievements, ina very clear, positive and convincing manner. He said thathe personally admired and wished her well for the future.

Ambassador Shankar was also presented with a flag of theUnited States of America, which was flown over the Capitolbuilding specially for her in recognition of her achievementsas Ambassador of India to the United States, along with acertificate confirming this by the Congress, sent byCongressman Ed Royce, the Co-Chair of the India Caucusin the House of Representatives.

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PHOTO LEGENDS1. Ambassador Meera Shankar met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at

the Department of State on July 27. Photo Credit: State Department Image.2. Reception hosted by the Indian-American community to bid farewell to

Ambassador Meera Shankar on July 24. Also seen is Ambassador RobertBlake, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Bureau.Photo Credit: Mathew Karmel.

3. Ambassador Meera Shankar addressing the Indian American Community ather farewell reception at the Embassy Residence on July 25.

4. Guests in attendance.5. Ambassador Meera Shankar addressing prominent members of the

American Community at her farewell reception at the Embassy Residenceon July 28.

6. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman speaking on the occasion.7. Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs

Robert Hormats addressing the gathering.8. Ambassador Meera Shankar being presented with a U.S. flag (which was

flown over the Capitol building), sent by Congressman Ed Royce, the co-chair of the India Caucus in the House of Representatives.

9. A section of the guests.

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EmbassyEVENTS

PRAVASI BHARATIYA SAMMAN AWARD REcEPTION

A m b a s s a d o rMeera Shankarhosted a recep-tion at the

Embassy Residence onJuly 7 to felicitate Dr. RajivShah, Administrator,United States Agency forInternational Development(USAID), following theconferment of the PravasiBharatiya Samman Award(PBSA) on him by thePresident of India.

Dr. Rajiv Shah is anoutstanding Indian-American and a true glob-al citizen. He has gainedrich experience in socialwork through his variousactivities as part of theWorld HealthO r g a n i z a t i o n , US Department ofAgriculture, Bill andMelinda Gates Foundationand other Non-ProfitOrganizations. He nowheads one of the world’slargest aid organizations— USAID, and is wellrecognized internationallyfor his developmental andhumanitarian activities.

Ambassador MeeraShankar said, “We rejoicein your success andachievements, and wewish you all the very bestin your present and futureresponsibilities”.

She added that Dr.Shah had done Indiaproud, he had done theIndian-American commu-nity proud and he haddone America proud. ThePravasi BharatiyaSamman conferred uponhim by the Government ofIndia is a recognition ofhis outstanding work.

Ambassador Meera Shankar welcoming the guests on the occasion.

USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah addressing the gathering.

Guests in attendance.


EmbassyEVENTS

13

BRIEFING FOR INDIAN-AMERIcAN PROFESSIONALS

FAREWELL REcEPTION FOR AMBASSADOR MEERA SHANKAR

D eputy Chief of Mission, Arun K. Singh, briefed agroup of young professionals on India-U.S.

relations with a focus on counter terrorism cooperation,at the Embassy of India on July 21.

T he Embassyof India host-ed a farewell

reception forAmbassador MeeraShankar on July 29.The Ambassadorthanked theEmbassy staff for alltheir support anddedication andwished them andtheir families thevery best for thefuture.

Deputy Chief of Mission, Arun K. Singh addressing the gathering.A section of the audience gathered on the occasion.

1 2

3

1. Ambassador Meera

Shankar addressing theEmbassy Staff.

2. Ambassador Meera

Shankar being presented abook and music CD by

Deputy Chief of MissionArun K. Singh.

3. Ambassador Meera

Shankar with the Embassy staff.

14


ConsulateEVENTS

INDIA SOURcING FAIR, MIAMI

F ederation of Indian ExportOrganizations (FIEO), aleading industry associa-tions at the national level,

arranged the participation of 42Indian companies in the first edi-tion of ‘India Sourcing Fair’ in theUSA, which was held at MiamiBeach Convention Center in Miamifrom 11-13 July, 2011. The fairwas organized by Global Sources, aNASDAQ listed company. FIEO had earlier participated in the ‘India Sourcing Fair’ eventsheld in Dubai, Hong Kong,

Johannesburg and Singapore. The fair was inaugurated by

Dr. Mukul Sangma, Hon’ble ChiefMinister of the State of Meghalayaand Sanjiv Arora, Consul-Generalof India in Houston, along withAjay Sahai, Director General &CEO, FIEO and Mr. TommyWong, President, Global Sources,on 11 July.

The companies under FIEO’sbanner represented various important sectors such as gift & premiums, home products &décor, fashion accessories,

garments & textiles, and baby &children’s products. The fair show-cased India’s world-class productsand the huge potential for increasing trade and other businesspartnerships. The event attractedover 7,000 visitors, many of whomhad substantive discussions withIndian companies. A series of meet-ings were also held on the sidelinesof the fair.

The Consulate fully supportedthe initiative and worked closelywith FIEO toward the success ofthe ‘India Sourcing Fair’.

Hon’ble Chief Minister of the State of Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma and Consul-General of India in Houston, Sanjiv Arora inaugurating ‘India SourcingFair’ at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami on 11 July, 2011. Also present are Ajai Sahai, DG, FIEO and Gideon Dalbot Shira, son of CM,Meghalaya, Dr. Piyush Agrawal, GOPIO’s national coordinator for USA and Tommy Wong, President of Global Sources.


EconomyNEWS

15

India’s central bank on July 26sharply hiked key rates by 50basis points in the 11th such

exercise since January 2010 totame inflation, setting the stage forcommercial banks to raise theirinterest charged on personal andcorporate loans.

The repurchase rate, the interestthe central bank levies on short-term borrowings by commercialbanks, has been hiked to 8 percentfrom 7.5 percent and reverse repur-chase rate, or interest paid on short-term lending, raised to 7 percent from6.5 percent. The rate hikes were effect-ed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

Governor Dr. D.Subbarao during thefirst quarterly review ofthe apex bank’s mone-tary policy for the current fiscal.

“Notwithstandingsigns of moderation,inflationary pressuresare clearly very strong,”Subbarao said,addressing the chief

executives of commercial banks afterthe policy update. “Keeping in view thedomestic demand-supply balance, theglobal trends in commodity prices andthe likely demand scenario, the base-

line projection for wholesale inflationfor March 2012 is revised upwardfrom 6 percent with an upside bias.”

The new projection on inflation is100 basis points above, at 7 percent bythe year-end. On growth, the RBIGovernor said amidst a slowdown inthe factory output growth, the robustexport performance should augur well,but the performance of the monsoonso far could exert pressures on theyields of coarse grains, pulses, oilseedsand cotton.

In the policy update, the reserveratios — which call for the quantum ofmoney against deposits banks have tokeep as liquid assets — stoodunchanged at 6 percent in the case ofcash reserve ratio and 24 percent in thecase of statutory liquidity ratio.

‘EcONOMIc GROWTH PEGGED AT 8.2 Pc’

Inflation would ease to around6.5 percent by the end of this fiscal, the Prime Minister’sEconomic Advisory Council said

on August 1, projecting the country’sgrowth at 8.2 percent for 2011-12.Headed by former Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) Governor C. Rangarajan,the council said agriculture and indus-try would grow at a lower rate com-pared with the previous year, andservices would expand faster in thecurrent fiscal.

“The inflationary situation andinvestment slowdown have necessitat-ed a downward revision. The project-ed growth rate of 8.2 percent, thoughlower than the previous year, must betreated as high and respectable, giventhe world situation,” the council saidin its economic outlook for 2011-12.

India’s GDP had expanded by 8.5percent in 2010-11 and 8 percent theyear before. For agriculture, industryand services, the council projected agrowth rate of 3, 7.1 and 10 percentfor this fiscal respectively.

The panel said as overall inflationwould continue to be high at 9 percentin the July-September quarter, theReserve Bank of India (RBI) would

have to continue with monetary tight-ening measures.

“The RBI will have to continue tofollow a tight monetary policy tillinflation shows definite signs of adecline,” it said, adding that inflationwould start to taper only fromNovember.

It also said that achieving the fiscaldeficit target of 4.7 percent, as set outin the budget for 2011-12, wouldrequire the government to “redoubleefforts to collect larger revenue,resolve cases to reduce tax arrears”.

“The high subsidy outgo, especiallyon account of petroleum products, isplacing a serious stress on the center’sbudgeted fiscal position,” the panelsaid.

C. Rangarajan

n Country’s growth pegged at 8.2 per-cent for 2011-12

n Inflation to ease to 6.5 percent only bythe end of this fiscal

n Important role for fiscal policy to con-tain demand pressure

n RBI will follow tight monetary policy tillinflation shows definite signs of decline

n Agriculture to grow at 3 percent asmonsoon to remain more-or-less nor-mal

n Industry to expand by 7.1 percent, slow-er than the rate of 7.9 percent last year

n Services to grow at a faster rate of 10percent

n Global economic and financial situationunlikely to improve

n Important to increase investments ifeconomy is to grow at 9 percent

n Investment rate projected to rise to36.7 percent in 2011-12

n Current account deficit projected at $54billion or 2.7 percent of GDP

n Merchandise trade deficit at $154 bil-lion or 7.7 percent of GDP

n Foreign direct investment set to rise to$35 billion in current fiscal

n Foreign institutional investor inflows toslip to $14 billion, less than half of lastyear

Highlights of EconomicAdvisory council report

RBI hikes rates to tame inflation

Dr. D. Subbarao

16


DiasporaNEWS

NIkkI Haley memOIr

South Carolina’s Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley, just shy of her40th birthday, is all set to

publish her memoir.Her book, Can’t is Not an Option, isexpected to hit shelves in January2012 and will be published bySentinel, a conservative imprint with-in Penguin Group.Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa toSikh immigrant parents on January20, 1972, Haley is America’syoungest Governor.In March, Haley, 39, said in a pub-lished interview that in her memoirshe would cover everything fromgrowing up in rural South Carolina toher contentious 2010 campaign,when she faced and denied alle-gations of infidelity.Though the RepublicanGovernor says she’s notseeking higher office, her lit-erary agent Robert Barnett’spast clients include PresidentBarack Obama, George W.Bush and Bill Clinton.Haley’s new bookwill give the first-termRepublican a chanceto reveal behind-the-

scenes details of her once unlikely elec-tion as South Carolina’s ChiefExecutive, how she handled the state’srough-and-tumble politics and her lifeas a first-generation American,postandcourier.com said. “A lot of people wanted to knowwhat happened in the campaign,” shewas quoted as telling The Post andCourier in April. During the primary season, Haley, amarried mother of two, also shoul-dered accusations of marital infidelity. Haley told the Post in April that peo-ple told her they wanted to know moreabout the impact those accusationshad on her family. “They just wanted to know how wewon,” she said then. “When things gotreally tough, how did I handle it?”

The book is also expected tocover Haley’s vision for thecountry and the RepublicanParty, according to herpublishing house. Sentinel President andPublisher AdrianZackheim called Haley an“all-American successstory” and “a risingstar in national politics”.

GOPIO welcomesnew passport

surrender rules

T he Global Organization of People ofIndian Origin (GOPIO International)has welcomed a relaxation of rules

requiring former Indian citizens to producea surrender certificate of their old passportswhen seeking Indian visas.

The relaxation incorporates two of theGOPIO demands: elimination of surrendercertificate requirement from those whobecame naturalized citizens more than 10years ago, and that an OCI (OverseasCitizenship of India) application need notbe accompanied by an original US pass-port. The change “will not only stop thedecline of goodwill in the Indian communi-ty for the government of India but can alsoreduce workload at the consulates”, saidInder Singh, GOPIO InternationalChairman.

“Now that the work load will be less,Indian missions in western countries andTravisa should finish off all the backlogsoon and make the process of getting anOCI card and entry visa to India easier forthe Indian community,” said ThomasAbraham, former Chairman of GOPIOInternational.

“This is a welcome action that removesan undue burden on former citizens ofIndia and improves goodwill towardsIndia,” said Ashook Ramsaran, ExecutiveVice-President of GOPIO International.

Goa University to have chair on Indian diaspora studies

T he federal Human ResourceDevelopment (HRD) Ministryhas decided to set up a chair on

Indian diaspora studies at the GoaUniversity, Goa’s Commissioner forNon-Resident Indian (NRI) affairsEduardo Faleiro said on July 5.Speaking to reporters, Faleiro saidHRD Minister Kapil Sibal had agreedto establish a chair on the diasporacommunity at the state university inGoa. “I have requested the Goa Governor,Dr. S.S. Sidhu, who is the Chancellorof the Goa University (GU), to advisethe university in this regard so that wehave a quality institution for study andresearch on the Indian diaspora in

general and on the Goan diaspora inparticular,” said Faleiro, a formerMinister of State for external affairs. The chair on diaspora studies willdeal with the questions and issuesregarding the Indian diaspora (Goandiaspora included) in academic depthand in a comparative context, he said.It will also study migration in

other countries, he added.He said a part payment has alreadybeen made by the University GrantsCommission (UGC) to the GUtowards the creation of the chair. “The study on migration in all itsdiverse aspects is one of the most fas-cinating areas of research. A very largenumber of universities abroad have thisfacility,” Faleiro said, adding that theGU is the first in India to establish achair on the diaspora studies. Incidentally, Goa is the second statein India after Kerala to conduct a sur-vey on out-migration of its workingpopulation to other countries foremployment, primarily in the Gulfregion. A view of the Examination Block, Goa University

India Review

ScienceNEWS

August 2011

17

Communication Satellite GSaT-12launched successfully

A n Indianrocket carry-ing the coun-try’s latest

communication satelliteGSAT-12 blasted offfrom the space port atSriharikota in AndhraPradesh on July 15.Under a cloudy sky, at4.48 p.m. the IndianSpace ResearchOrganization’s (ISRO)`900 million ($ 20.4million) rocket — PolarSatellite LaunchVehicle-C17 (PSLV-C17) — soared toward the heavenswith a roar.It ferried the $18.1 million GSAT-12which had 12 extended C-bandtransponders — automatic receiversand transmitters for communicationand broadcast of signals.“I am extremely happy to state thatthe PSLV (Polar Satellite LaunchVehicle)-C17 GSAT-12 mission is successful. The satellite was launched in the intended orbit,” Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Chariman,

Indian Space ResearchOrganization said.Around 20 minutesafter the blast off, therocket achieved its mission by placing thelatest Indian communi-cation satellite in theintended subG e o s y n c h r o n o u sTransfer Orbit (GTO).A geosynchronous orbitis one directly above theearths’ equator. For anobserver from theearth a satellite in geo-synchronous orbit will

seem motionless, stationary at onepoint in the skyThe GSAT-12 carries around 851 kgof fuel on-board to fire the motors.The rocket placed the satellite in subGTO with a 284 km perigee (nearestpoint to earth) and 21,000 km apogee(farthest point from the earth). Thesatellite will be raised to 36,000 kmapogee from 21,000 km. Immediatelyafter satellite ejection, ISRO with itsnetwork of ground stations monitoredits health.

yOUNG eNGINeerS VISITaTION PrOGram

The PSLV-C17 rocket taking offfrom the Satish Dhawan SpaceCenter, Sriharikota, on July 15.

In a significant discovery that can be amajor breakthrough in biotechnology,Indian mycologists have discovered

fungi spores, considered as being able towithstand a temperature of 100-115degrees celsius.

Spores are reproductive cells capable ofdeveloping into a new individual withoutfusion with another reproductive cell. Theteam of fungi researchers found the heat-resistant spores in dead leaves.

“It took us around one and a half yearsto arrive at our conclusion. It is a prelimi-nary, but significant finding. It is reportedfor the first time that fungi spores can survive even 115 degrees Celsius,” T.S. Suryanarayanan, Director of theVivekananda Institute of Tropical Mycology(VINSTROM), said.

The fungi are among the most heat-resistant eukaryotes (organisms with amembrane-bound nucleus) on record, hesaid. They have been named ‘Agni’s Fungi’after the Hindu god of fire.

The fungi were particularly found in leaflitter isolated from tropical semi-arid habi-tat in the Western Ghats in southern India.The spores may have adapted to the envi-ronment as the region is known to haveforest fires, Suryanarayanan said. Alongwith bacteria, they degrade dead leaves bybreaking down their molecular structure asopposed to other fungi that damage livingtrees and plants.

Indians discoverworld’s most

heat-resistant fungi

W ith the common goal ofdeveloping an ecosystemthat encourages innovation

and entrepreneurship, Indo-USScience and Technology Forum(IUSSTF) and Lockheed MartinCorporation has collaborated tolaunch Young Engineers VisitationProgramme in 2011, which is envis-aged to create sustainable, long-termnetwork for mutual good. The objec-tive of the joint program is to create,nurture and support techno-entrepre-neurial ecosystems. For the first year, 34 young engi-neers from six reputable institutionsacross India (Indian Institute of

Technology, Bombay; Indian Instituteof Technology, Madras; Indian Schoolof Mines, Dhanbad; Madras Instituteof Technology, Anna University,Chennai; Thapar Institute ofTechnology, Patiala; and, MalaviyaNational Institute of Technology,Jaipur) were selected to participate inthe one-week program during 12-17June, 2011. The young engineers

gained insight to the process of com-mercialization as technology movesfrom the lab to the marketplacethrough a visitation program at theLockheed Martin Center forInnovation, Suffolk, VA. The Centerfor Innovation is a powerful net-cen-tric experimentation and analysis labo-ratory and serves as a focal point forresourceful thinking and revolutionarytechnology. In order to gain hands-onexperience, the students were dividedinto small groups of 5 each and weregiven specific projects in two areas —Lego robotics and Virtual world. At theend of the week, their projects werejudged and awarded.


Trends inSOCIETY

18

T he size of the education sec-tor is expected to double to$50 billion by 2015 with thephenomena of rising govern-

ment expenditure and increasingincomes, according to an industrychamber study. The report says the sizeof the education sector is currentlypegged at $25 billion with higher edu-cation market estimated at $15 billion.Additionally, the government is alsoplanning to spend about five percent ofthe gross domestic product (GDP), inthe next five years on education, as perthe study. The education sector in India —

apart from the enormous economicpotential it holds — is also witnessinggrowth in private equity investment,according to HDFC, a leading privatesector bank. The bank plans to forayinto the sector, which according toKeki Mistry, its Vice-Chairman andChief Executive Officer, has touched$190 million in 2010. The sector isalso witnessing increase in hiring as perthe employment indices of online jobportals Naukri.com and MonsterIndia. In the month of June 2010, theemployment indices of Monster India

and Naukri.com in education sectorwent up by 9 and 10 percent, respec-tively. India has also been ranked as num-

ber four on the list of the top 10 pre-ferred destinations for B-school aspi-rants, according to the findings of asurvey conducted by the GraduateManagement Admission Council(GMAC). Further, according to aworldwide survey conducted by Frenchconsulting firm SMBG, the IndianInstitute of Management Bangalore isranked 24th, while IIM-Ahmedabad isranked 55th. The survey, ‘UniversalBusiness Schools with major interna-tional influence,’ took into considera-tion inputs from 1,000 deans of busi-ness schools worldwide.

Revamping technical Education

Taking a step further, into the tech-nical education space, the governmenthas approved an investment of $519million to initiate the second phase ofthe Technical Education QualityImprovement Program (TEQIP). Ofthis expenditure, the World Bank willcontribute $298 million. The Federal

Government’s contribution is $106.8million, while the states and privateunaided institutions will invest $110.7million and $3.42 million, respectively.The project would be open for compe-tition and participation by all the engi-neering institutions approved by theAICTE. The TEQIP scheme, going onsince 2003 with World Bank assis-tance, was envisaged as a long-termprogram of about 10-12 years. To beimplemented in three phases theTEQIP scheme is intended for thetransformation of the technical education system.

E-Learning — Starting Young

Kapil Sibal, Federal Minister forHuman Resource Development, hasalso announced the government’splans to launch a scheme, which wouldbring in information, communicationand technology (ICT), into the ele-mentary education system to focus onthe development of e-contents to beused by students at both the primaryand upper-primary classes. TheMinister had recently unveiled a $35low-cost computer, in an attempt to

Education on thE movE

The Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (seen above) and the Indian Institute ofTechnology-Kanpur have signed an agreement with Yale University to develop trainingprograms to create academic leadership in the country.

The size of India’s education & training sector is expected to reach $15 billion by 2015,with ample room for private, public and overseas players to participate in it in a big way

Trends inSOCIETY


19

revolutionize classroom educationacross the country. The device allowsstudents to write and store text, browsethe Internet and view videos, besidesother regular features.

opportunities in training Space

The training industry in India is asunrise industry with a lot of potentialand there is considerable flux in it. Forinstance, IndiaCan Education PrivateLimited, plans to open 250 centersacross India by the end of this financialyear aiming to train over 500,000 per-sons annually. Tata ConsultancyServices Ltd (TCS) is opening its firstlearning and development center,equipped to train 6,000 professionalsannually and HCL Technologies Ltdhas also announced a tie-up with theBPO training institute, Orion Edutechto customize their Diploma in BPOManagement (DIBM) to suit its indus-try specific talent requirement.

Foreign institutes in india

Many overseas business schools havealso come to India seeking revenueboosts and to understand the concernsof a developing economy. To regulatethe operations of foreign educationalinstitutions in India, the governmenthas introduced the ForeignEducational Institutions (Regulation ofEntry and Operations) Bill, 2010, inParliament on May 3, 2010. Amongstthe several tie-ups made, or in the

pipeline with foreign educational insti-tutes, are the following: The Indian School of Business (ISB)

has signed an MoU with The FletcherSchool of Law & Diplomacy, TuftsUniversity, U.S., to support the settingup of the Bharti Institute of PublicPolicy at the upcoming ISB campus inMohali, Punjab. INSEAD, the businessschool headquartered in Fontainebleau,Paris, plans to offer a dedicated, 12-month program in business man-agement for middle to senior-levelIndian executives, with about 10-15years of work experience. YaleUniversity has signed an agreementwith two of India’s leading institutions,the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K) and the IndianInstitute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K), to develop training programs to cre-ate academic leadership in the country.The government’s Shipping Ministryhas also joined the bandwagon by

allocating $65.9 million to the IndianMaritime University, to create elaborateinfrastructure facilities (academic com-plex, administrative building, library,hostels and residential accommodation)over the next five years.

issues in investments

According to a report released byKaizen Management Advisors, the pre-school segment itself is worth an esti-mated $500 million currently andexpected to grow to $1 billion by 2013,growing at a compounded annual rate(CAGR) of 30 percent. Internationaluniversity endowment funds have alsostepped up their presence in the Indianstock markets to cash in on its highreturns. The number of such fundsinvesting in India has increased fromsix in 2008, to around 20 in 2010, asper SEBI (Security and ExchangeBoard of India) data.

the Road ahead

Besides, the government has alsointroduced two bills in the Parliament –The National Accreditation RegulatoryAuthority for Higher EducationalInstitutions Bill, 2010, to ensure that allhigher educational institutions and theirprograms have commensurate accredi-tation, and The Educational TribunalsBill, 2010, to establish State andNational Education Tribunals toaddress disputes with regulatory bodies. In yet another foray into medical

education, India has allowed private-sector healthcare companies like FortisHealthcare, Max Healthcare andApollo Hospitals to start medical col-leges. India’s cabinet has also approveda proposal allowing foreign universitiesto set up local campuses. The National Development Council

has also approved setting up of 14world-class universities. TheGovernment would also spend$675.90 million to set up 13 new cen-tral universities and convert three exist-ing State universities into central uni-versities. Minister Sibal also plans tocreate a national vocational education-al framework within a year.

n Edutor Technologies: Raising $3 millionto expand rural customer base with gov-ernment schools.

n Hewlett-Packard: $1 million EducationInnovation Challenge Fund for India —For innovative initiatives in science, math& technology education.

n Equity firm Mayfield: Invested $8.73 mil-lion in Bharti’s Centum Learning.

n Chennai-based Everonn BusinessEducation Limited — To open 500Indigrow Institute of Professional Studiescenters by 2015, $216,679 investment ineach center.

n Second campus of the Indian School ofBusiness to come up in Mohali, Punjab.Opens in April, 2012.

n Four new Indian Institute of MassCommunication (IIMCs) from the nextacademic year in Kerala, Jammu &Kashmir, Maharashtra and Mizoram.

n Ninth Indian Institute of Management(IIM) at Ranchi inaugurated on July 6.2010. To offer a two-year post-graduateprogram in management.

n IBM’s global university relations programto focus on fostering innovations acrossaround 100 engineering colleges.

impoRtant invEStmEnt pRopoSaLS in thE pipELinE


ShortSTORY

20

M unshi Khairat Ali Khanwas the inspector of sanitation and hundredsof sweeper women

depended on him. He was good-heart-ed and well thought of — not the sortwho cut their pay, scolded them orfined them. But he went on regularlyrebuking and punishing Alarakkhi. Shewas not a shirker, nor saucy or slovenly; she was also not at all bad-looking. During these chilly days shewould be out with her broom before itwas light and go on assiduously sweep-ing the road until nine. But all thesame, she would be penalized. Huseni,her husband, would help her with thework too when he found the chance,but it was in Alarakkhi’s fate that shewas going to be fined. For others pay-day was an occasion to celebrate, forAlarakkhi it was a time to weep. On that day it was as though her heart

had broken. Who could tell how muchwould be deducted! Like studentsawaiting the results of their examina-tions, over and over again she wouldspeculate on the amount of the deduction.

Whenever she got so tired that she’dsit down a moment to catch herbreath, precisely then the Inspectorwould arrive riding in his ekka. Nomatter how much she’d say, ‘Please,Excellency, I’ll go back to work again,’he would jot her name down in hisbook without listening. A few dayslater the very same thing would hap-pen again. If she bought a few centsworth of candy from the sweets-ven-dor and started to eat it, just at thatmoment the Inspector would drop onher from the devil knew where andonce more write her name down in hisbook. Where could he have been hid-ing? The moment she began to rest a

little he was upon her like an evil spir-it. If he wrote her name down on onlytwo days, how much would the penal-ty be then! God knew. More than eightannas? If only it weren’t a wholerupee! With her head bowed she’d goto collect her pay and find even morededucted than she’d estimated. Takingher money with trembling hands she’dgo home, her eyes full of tears. Therewas no one to turn to, no one who’dlisten.

Today was pay-day again. The pastmonth her unweaned daughter hadsuffered from cough and fever. Theweather had been exceptionally cold.Partly because of the cold, partlybecause of the little girl’s crying, shewas kept awake the whole night.Several times she’d come to work late.Khan Sahib had noted down her name,and this time she would be fined halfher pay. It was impossible to say how

PENALTYBy Munshi Premchand

Born on July 31, 1880 in the village Lamahinear Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Dhanpat Rai,

better known by his pen name Munshi Premchand, is recognized in India asthe foremost Hindi-Urdu writer of the early twentieth century. He wrote about three

hundred short stories and fourteen novels, aswell as many essays and letters, plays and

translations. Many of Premchand’s stories havebeen translated into English and Russian. In India, he is known as “Upanyas Samrat”,meaning a master novel writer. He died on

October 8, 1936. The story “Penalty” originally appeared as Jurmana.

much might be deducted. Early in themorning she picked up the baby, tookher broom and went to the street. Butthe naughty creature wouldn’t let her-self be put down. Time after timeAlarakkhi would threaten her with thearrival of the Inspector. ‘He’s on hisway and he’ll beat me and as for you,he’ll cut off your nose and ears! ‘Thechild was willing to sacrifice her noseand ears but not to be put down. Atlast, when Alarakkhi had failed to getrid of her with threats and coaxingalike, she set her down and left her cry-ing and wailing while she started tosweep. But the little wretch wouldn’t sitin one place to cry her heart out; shecrawled after her mother time and timeagain, caught her sari, clung to herlegs, then wallowed around on theground and a moment later sat up tostart crying again.

‘Shut up!’ Alarakkhi said, brandish-ing the broom. ‘If you don’t, I’ll hit youwith the broom and that’ll be the end ofyou. That bastard of an Inspector’sgoing to show up at any moment.’

She had hardly got the words out ofher mouth when Inspector Khairat AliKhan dismounted from his bicycledirectly in front of her. She turned pale,her heart began to thump. ‘Oh God,may my head fall off if he heard me!Right in front of me and I didn’t seehim. Who could tell he’d come on hisbicycle today? He’s always come in hisekka.’ The blood froze in her veins; shestood holding the broom as thoughparalyzed.

Angrily the Inspector said, ‘Why doyou drag the kid after you to work!

Why didn’t you leave it at home!’ ‘She’s sick, Excellency’ Alarakkhi

said timidly. ‘Who’s at home to leaveher with?’

‘What’s the matter with her?’ ‘She has a fever, Huzoor.’ ‘And you make her cry by leaving

her? Don’t you care if she lives? ‘How can I do my work if I carry

her?’ ‘Why don’t you ask for leave!’ ‘If my pay is cut, Huzoor, what will

we have to live on?’ ‘Pick her up and take her home.

When Huseni comes back send himhere to finish the sweeping.

She picked up the baby and wasabout to go when he asked, ‘Why wereyou abusing me!’

Alarakkhi felt all her breath knockedout of her. If you’d cut her therewouldn’t have been any blood.Trembling she said, ‘No, Huzoor, maymy head fall off if I was abusing you.’

And she burst into tears. In the evening Huseni and Alarakkhi

went to collect her pay. She was verydowncast.

‘Why so sad?’ Huseni tried to con-sole her. ‘The pay is going to be cut, solet them cut it. I swear on your life fromnow on I won’t touch another drop ofbooze or toddy.’

‘I’m afraid I’m fired. Damn my

tongue! How could I....’ ‘If you’re fired, then you’re fired, but

let Allah be merciful to him. Why go oncrying about it?’

‘You’ve made me come for nothing.Everyone of those women will laugh atme.

‘If he’s fired you, won’t we ask onwhat grounds! And who heard youabuse him? Can there be so muchinjustice that he can fire anyone hepleases? If I’m not heard, I’ll complainto the panchayat, I’ll beat my head onthe headman’s gate...’

‘If our people stuck together like thatwould Khan Sahib ever dare fine us somuch!’’

‘No matter how serious the sicknessthere’s a medicine for it, silly.’

But Alarakkhi was not set at rest.Dejection covered her face like a cloud.When the Inspector heard her abuse

him why didn’t he even scold her? Whydidn’t he fire her on the spot! She wasn’t able to work it out, he actuallyseemed kind. She couldn’t manage tounderstand this mystery. She wasafraid. He had decided to fire her —that must have been why he was sonice. She’d heard that a man about tobe hanged is given a fine last meal, theyhave to give him anything he wants —so surely the Inspector was going todismiss her. They reached the munici-pal office building. The pay began to bedistributed. The sweeper women werefirst. Whoever’s name was calledwould go running and taking hermoney call down undeserved blessingson the Inspector and go away.Alarakkhi’s name was always calledafter Champa’s. Today she was passedover. After Champa, Jahuran’s namewas called, and she always followedAlarakkhi.

In despair she looked at Huseni. Thewomen were watching her and begin-ning to whisper.

One after another the names werecalled and Alarakkhi went on lookingat the trees across the way.

Suddenly startled, she heard hername. Slowly she stood up and walkedahead with the slow tread of a newbride. The paymaster put the fullamount of six rupees in her hand.

She was stupefied. Surely the pay-master was mistaken! In these threeyears she had never once got her fullpay. And now to get even half wouldhave been a windfall. She stood therefor a second in case the paymastershould ask for the money back. Whenhe asked her, ‘Why are you standinghere now, why don’t you move along!’she said softly.

‘But it’s the full amount.’ Puzzled the paymaster looked at her

and said, ‘What else do you want--doyou want to get less?’

‘There’s no penalty deducted?’ ‘No, today there aren’t any deduc-

tions. She came away but in her heart she

was not content. She was full ofremorse for having abused theInspector.

India Review

ShortSTORY

August 2011

She had hardly got the words out of her

mouth when InspectorKhairat Ali Khan

dismounted from his bicycle directly in

front of her

21

The National FilmDevelopment Corporation(NFDC) has decided to

launch home videos of thepriceless works of director Mani Kaul, who passed awayrecently.

Kaul, who was a believer of“new and bold cinema”, passedaway in New Delhi on July 6 following a prolonged illness.He was 66.

“We are trying to bring outhome videos of his films. We arealso trying to showcase hismovies at different film festivals,”Nina Lath Gupta, ManagingDirector of NFDC, said.

NFDC also organized a meet-ing to pay tribute to the eminentfilmmaker and it was attended bydirectors like Anurag Kashyap,Rajat Kapoor and RakeyshOmprakash Mehra.

Gupta said Kaul started his career as a filmmaker with NFDC so they are trying to pre-serve his works. “Mani Kaul began his careerwith NFDC. He was also supposed to do hisnext film with us. He was an exceptional man.I think it’s a big loss for the entire filmmakingcommunity,” he said.

“We are restoring his films. We havealready restored Duvidha (1973) and Uski Roti (1970). We are working to preserveAshad Ka Ek Din (1971) and Nazar (1989),”said Gupta.

August 2011India Review

CinemaNEWS

22nFdC to bring out home videos of Mani kaul’s films

Southern StarS twinkle in Bollywood

T he southerners are arriving inBollywood. Be it AsinThottumkal, RanaDaggubati, Kajal Aggarwal

or Sundeep Kishan — many of India’syoung southern film stars are giving into the lure of the “glamorous” Hindifilm industry. Though they are yet torise to the stature of Sridevi and Jaya Prada, many young actors fromTamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,Karnataka and Kerala are beginning totake up Bollywood projects.

Daggubati, who entered Hindi filmsthis year with Rohan Sippy’s Dum Maaro Dum, feels Bollywoodcould give him a chance to experimentwith his talent.

With Shor In The City, Chennai-reared Sundeep Kishan forayed intoHindi cinema from the Tamil-Teluguindustry.

“The southern industry is healthy,but the craze that the Bollywood worldhas created is unbeatable. Who doesnot want to be part of it? Moreover, Ifeel Bollywood has set internationalstandards and from the outside it lookslike a ‘glamorous’ world,” Kishan said.

“Experimentation with roles is whatone looks forward to and I see that inthe Hindi film industry. The satisfac-tion and the career prospects — allsoar high after one makes a mark

here,” he added. However, as far as southern lumi-

naries like Mammootty, Mohanlal andKamal Haasan are concerned, theyhave done select Hindi films, and neverreally made a base in Mumbai.

Lately, however, Bollywood has welcomed a slew of actors from thesouth, including Kamal Haasan’sdaughter Shruti in Luck, TrishaKrishnan in the Akshay Kumar-starrerKhatta Meetha and Charmy Kaur inthe Amitabh Bachchan-starrerBbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap.

There are others who are awaitingrelease of their projects.

Ileana D’cruz will be seen in AnuragBasu’s Barfee and Kannadiga actressLakshmi Rai will feature in SatishKaushik’s Tere Bina Jiya Nahin Jaye.Kajal Aggarwal, with her full-fledgedHindi movie debut opposite AjayDevgn in Singham, has already createda lot of buzz. Kajal, who did a cameo role in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na, feels regionalbarriers are disappearing in filmdom.

“The reach of Hindi cinema is larger, but the south is equally professional. Both the industries haveequally good artistes, good scripts andgood professionals,” said the actress,who has featured in 21 southernmovies thus far. Asin Thottumkal (top) and Rana Daggubati

Mani Kaul

If you find Ooty, Kodaikanal orMunnar a bit too touristy andcrowded a destination in south-ern India, then go to Coorg. It is

that perfect holiday spot in Karnatakathat is sure to please toddlers, youthand the old alike. Just a three-hourdrive from Mysore, 150 km away,Coorg district on its own has a lot tooffer, beyond its coffee, cardamom,pepper and betel nut estates.

With some pristine trekking trails,picnic spots, waterfalls, wildlife,woods, forests, valleys and mouth-watering cuisines, there is much tosee, admire and soak in at this hill sta-tion, which the locals call Kodagu, onthe slopes of the Western Ghats.

Situated at a height of 1,525meters above sea level, Madikeri orMercara is the headquarters of Coorg.Here, the vibrant bazaar, and quainthouses with red-roofs and use of teak-wood for doors and furnitureeasily enthral the travelers.

It may come as a surprise tosome that Coorg has one of thelargest settlements of Tibetansin India; just about 30 km awayfrom Madikeri, they have theNamdroling Monastery, built in1963, which the locals call theGolden Temple. Once you enterthe monastery, you are trans-ported into another world,packed as it is with some 5,000monks in bright yellow and red

robes, with some soothing Buddhistchants, smell of incense and breath-taking sight of pagodas.

After seeing those large golden stat-ues of the Buddha and Tara, the intri-cate murals and Tangkha paintings,don’t forget to taste some authenticTibetan food here, especially thedelectable momos and the subtlethugkpa, their noodle soup.

Where to stay is a question that isbound to crop up. While there areplenty of hotels and resorts, includingthe Orange County that can even setyou back by as much as `25,000($555) per day, it is best to opt for ahomestay. There are some 35 of themin and around Medikeri in the rangeof `1,000 ($22) to `5,000 ($112) per day where one gets not just toretire, but to also taste authenticCoorgi food and take some refreshingstrolls on their plantations that grow

coffee and other cash crops.As far as the season goes, October

to March are the best months. Theweather is pleasant with that welcomenip in the air. But Coorg during mon-soons can be equally mesmerizing andenchanting.

There are also plenty of places onecan go to. There is Abbey Falls, whereone has to make his or her waythrough some dense woods, dottedwith coffee bushes, trees and creepers,to suddenly find a cascading gush ofwater. Then about 80 km away are theIruppu Falls, right next to the RajivGandhi National Park, also calledNagarhole, which is famous for itselephants and some 50 species ofbirds. Another must-see isTadiyendamol, which is the tallestpeak in Kodagu and gives a breath-taking view of the entire region ofCoorg, besides the distant Arabian

Sea. There is also the

Naalkunaadu Palace builtby Kodagu king DoddaRaja Veerendra in 1792.

After exploring all these,a bungalow at the plantation is perhaps thebest place to retire to.Toddlers can chase butter-flies, and as for the adults, ahammock and freshlybrewed coffee are sure to beat hand!

23

Travel &TOURISM

August 2011India Review

heavenly hoMeStay at Coorg

LOCATION: Around 150 km from Mysore and 260 km fromBangalore.HOW TO REACH: By bus or car from Mysore. Closest airportis in Bangalore; the airport in Coimbatore in neighboringTamil Nadu is another alternative.COST: There are around 35-40 homestays at Coorg rangingfrom about `1,000 ($22) to `5,000 ($112) per day.

n Celebrating Monsoon

With the arrival of the monsoon, the Saputara hill station, in the western Indian state of Gujarat readiesitself to celebrate the season with a month-long ‘Saputara Monsoon Festival’. The festival, starting fromJuly 30, is organized by Gujarat Tourism. AFP PHOTO / Sam Panthaky

Printed and Published by the Press & Information Office, Embassy of India, 2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, D.C., 20008Content, design and production by IANS. www.ianspublishing.com

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August 1, 2011 Vol. 7 Issue 8

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