The idea of “connectivity” appears to be the flavour of the season in Indian foreign policy. Earlier this month, the Ministry of External Affairs facilitated a high profile conference on the theme of “Asian Connectivity” (Raisina Dialogue, 1–3 March 2016).
State of Renewable Energy in India: A Citizen's Report by Chandra Bhushan, Nayanjyoti Goswami, Aruna Kumarankandath, Kanchan Kumar Agrawal and Joel Kumar, New Delhi: Centre for Science and Environment, 2014; pp 198, Rs 690.
Joint Ventures, International Investment and Technology Transfer edited by Nirvikar Singh and Sugata Marjit; Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2003; pp 404 + xxii, Rs 650.
In the context of the numerous accidents involving Russian-made MiG aircraft in India, it is interesting to examine how the military industrial complex, which had disintegrated after the collapse of the Soviet Union is being remodelled and refurbished and the challenges it faces. The upgradation and modernisation programme and the promotion of R and D appear to be leading to a re-emergence of Russia as a major producer and exporter of arms in the world lagging behind only the US.
If SARS showed the weakness of the centralised and authoritarian Chinese political system, it also exposed the fact that in giving primacy to business profits, Toronto could let down its guard too soon. It is not only the lack of democracy, but also the enshrining of profits that is a culprit.
While in the long run south-east Asia will benefit from a prosperous and economically strong and stable large neighbour, the issues tend to be more complex in the short and medium terms. South-east Asian countries have hitherto been able to adjust to China's initial opening up between 1990 and 1997 fairly successfully. However, the crisis of confidence following the regional crisis of 1997-98 and loss of forward momentum with regard to regional integration among ASEAN members and a feeling of vulnerability to an increasingly volatile global economy are some of the reasons for heightened concerns about the economic ascendancy of China.
The 1990s witnessed a significant deceleration in growth of rice productivity. The productivity potential of the existing modern rice varieties is getting exhausted especially under irrigated environments. This raises a serious concern about Asia's ability to sustain its food security in the 21st century. To find solutions to reverse this trend in irrigated systems, and raise yield levels in rain-fed areas, many public sector R and D institutions across Asia have invested huge public resources to explore new frontiers of rice science. However, many farmers, who grew hybrid rice initially, have started dropping out from hybrid rice cultivation. Can the currently available hybrid rice technology sustain productivity growth in the Asian tropics? Why has it not been possible to replicate in the Asian tropics China's success with hybrid rice? The paper provides a synthesis of major findings of a multi-country evaluation of farmers' experiences with the adoption of hybrid rice varieties.
This paper attempts to evaluate the implications of China's accession to the WTO in terms of its impact on the country's exports, imports and foreign investment inflows, and also discusses the likely effect of these developments for the Indian economy. The paper argues that in case of China, the changes consequent to accession to WTO will see an increase in economic activity, leading to a higher GDP growth rate. For India, the Chinese challenge can be met only if we strengthen the competitiveness of our economy further by undertaking additional reforms and improving infrastructure.
