India Last Week #14
India Last Week #14
A round-up of research & reportage on India across climate, energy, foreign policy, politics & more over the last week
Climate, Energy & Environment -
“In India, under Solar Energy there are five sub-components which include Solar Power Grid, Solar Power Off-Grid, PM- Kusum, Interest Payment and Issuing Expenses on the Bonds, and Other Renewable Energy Application. In FY 24-25 BEs, Solar Power-Grid received 90 per cent of the total Solar Energy allocation, up by 11 percentage points from the previous year's REs. This increase is primarily due to the inclusion of PM Suryaprakash Muft Bijli Yojana within Solar Power-Grid. The 'Solar Power (Grid)' scheme is also proposed to be merged into this scheme, along with its remaining financial commitments and liabilities. Solar Power-Off-Grid was the second-largest component under Solar Energy until FY 20-21. Its share in total Solar Energy allocations was 21 per cent in FY 16-17, which declined to 16 per cent in FY 20-21 and further to 1 per cent in FY 23-24. In FY 24-25 BEs, it is estimated to be less than 1 per cent.” Read more: Sharad Pandey & Avani Kapur, Foundation for Responsive Governance
“The demand for coal in India will likely peak between 2030 and 2035, according to the Ministry of Coal. And while coal production is increasing today with new mines also opening up, many old mines are also shutting down because of depletion of coal reserves and financial non-viability. Coal India, Ltd. alone has shut down 130 mines since 2009 and around 300 overall. Experts have previously pointed to a need to study what is happening with respect to mines that are already closing down and develop transition frameworks accordingly.” Read more: Rishika Pardikar, The Hindu
“An Adani Power coal-fired power plant under contract to sell all its output to Bangladesh can now supply the domestic market after an amendment to India's power export rules, helping the company hedge against political risks in Bangladesh. An internal federal power ministry memo, dated Aug. 12 and seen by Reuters, amends 2018 guidelines governing generators supplying electricity "exclusively to a neighbouring country". Currently only one plant in India - Adani Power's 1,600 megawatt (MW) Godda plant in eastern Jharkhand state - is under contract to export 100% of its power to a neighbouring country.” Read more: Sudarshan Varadhan, Reuters
Economy -
“Historically, FDI inflows into India have been primarily market seeking rather than export promoting. To shift this trend and enhance FDI’s contribution to export growth through global value chain integration, India must address the long-standing issue of an inverted import duty structure. This structure, where the duty rate on final products is lower than on components, makes domestic manufacturing economically uncompetitive… To sustain export growth, specialisation and alignment with comparative advantage are crucial. Estimates suggest that the gap between India and China in world export market share is primarily due to India’s lack of specialisation and scale — referred to as the intensive margin. Conversely, India has matched China in terms of diversification — extensive margin — across products and markets, distributing its exports over many products and trading partners.” Read more: Veeramani Choorikkadan, East Asia Forum
“As one of the top-5 capital markets in the world and a key resource mobiliser for the Indian economy, restoring confidence in the independence of our regulatory mechanism is of paramount importance today. What we are witnessing, instead, is a textbook example of how not to handle such a situation. In the 36 hours since Hindenburg released its sensational allegations, there was complete silence from the government and the finance ministry which oversees SEBI. Instead, we have seen a series of statements from those involved which raise more questions than they answer… India’s national interest is not served by defending one business group. With a market capitalisation of several lakh crores and the savings of countless ordinary people riding on the market, it is imperative that SEBI remains credible and is seen to adhere to the rules and compliance standards it imposes on all stakeholders.” Read more: Sucheta Dalal, Moneylife
“In what puts a question mark on the legality of lakhs of patent and trademark orders passed in the last two years by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), the Union Law Ministry and an Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India have opined that these orders are “legally unenforceable” as they were “made by outsourced employees” in violation of the Trade Marks Act, 1999. What has led to a chaos in the grant of intellectual property rights is the patent body’s decision to hire hundreds of employees “outsourced” through a single source, the Quality Council of India, an autonomous body, and not belonging to the Government of India. In the last one year itself, these employees granted patents and trademarks to companies in quasi judicial orders.” Read more: Ravi Mishra & Ananthakrishnan G, Indian Express
“Mr Modi’s government has never seen a methodology it likes. Last year the Global Hunger Index, a measure of undernutrition, ranked India 111th out of 125 countries. The government said it had “serious methodological issues”. India ranks 176th of 180 countries on an environmental index. “Unscientific methods”. What about the World Bank’s human capital index, which measures health and education? “Major methodological weaknesses”. The World Press Freedom Index? “Methodology which is questionable”. The Freedom in the World Index, eiu Democracy Index and v-dem indices? “Serious problems with the methodology”. Sometimes the government does not even like its own data. In 2019 it withheld the release of unflattering consumption numbers, promising fresh ones with “a refinement in the survey methodology”.” Read more: The Economist
Foreign Policy & Security -
“In less than three years, Indian foreign and security interests have suffered severe setbacks in three countries in India’s immediate neighbourhood. On August 5, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the mainstay of India’s Bangladesh policy, had to resign at short notice amidst widespread and violent protests and flee to this country. On November 17, 2023, Mohamed Muizzu was sworn in as President of Maldives after winning the presidential election… The overriding question in considering the foreign policy failures in Afghanistan, Maldives and Bangladesh is why should the Indian system have been taken by surprise by the swiftness of the final changes, even if it had an inkling that all was not well in these countries in the context of Indian interests. These surprises occurred despite the large structures that are now in place. Are “turf” issues responsible and, if so, how high do they reach?” Read more: Vivek Katju, Indian Express
“The Indian Navy has integrated yoga into its training practices for decades, and in recent years it has conducted yoga sessions onboard its warships during port visits as a form of cultural diplomacy. These events, and the social media posts documenting them, occasionally offer fascinating data points about the status of specific military capabilities. In particular, yoga-related social media posts and satellite imagery now indicate that one of India’s oldest naval missiles capable of launching nuclear weapons has likely been retired as the country continues to develop its sea-based nuclear deterrent… We have continuously assessed that as India’s long-planned nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines become operational, the Dhanush would eventually be phased out. New data points from social media and satellite imagery indicate it is very likely that this has now happened.” Read more: Matt Korda, Federation of American Scientists
“Since the standoff with China began in May 2020, India has built various roads, bridges, tunnels, airfields and helipads in its border areas for military mobility and logistics support for deployed forces and for civilian use. Infrastructure development has also focussed on providing better living experience and improved facilities to soldiers, and conservation of modern weapons and equipment deployed in forward areas. However, the Indian government maintains that infrastructure development is not a contest with China but the “execution of its clear strategic vision”. For the latter, the existing infrastructure imbalance puts India at a disadvantage and is therefore preferred so that Beijing can continue to have an upper hand.” Read more: Shibani Mehta, The Print
“The recent resignation of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a key ally of India, has raised concerns about the future of New Delhi’s “Neighbourhood First” foreign policy and a possible shift in the balance of influence in South Asia towards China… Bangladesh’s main opposition parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami, have traditionally favoured closer ties with China and Pakistan over India. China’s influence in Bangladesh has been particularly strong in defence cooperation. In May, the People’s Liberation Army said it would conduct a joint military exercise with the Bangladesh Armed Forces, while from 2019 to 2023 Bangladesh was the second-largest recipient of Chinese arms exports after Pakistan with 11 per cent, according to official data.” Read more: Junaid Kathju, South China Morning Post
People & Politics -
“Why should caste politics be more attractive than class-based issues for the opposition? For many reasons. First, caste and class overlap to a great extent – even though a small Dalit bourgeoisie and a larger OBC middle class are shaping up. Second, these two emerging social groups are primarily the products of caste-based positive discrimination – so much so that even dominant castes like the Marathas are asking for reservations. For many reasons. First, caste and class overlap to a great extent – even though a small Dalit bourgeoisie and a larger OBC middle class are shaping up. Second, these two emerging social groups are primarily the products of caste-based positive discrimination – so much so that even dominant castes like the Marathas are asking for reservations.” Read more: Christophe Jaffrelot, The Wire
“Tens of thousands of women in Kolkata and across West Bengal state are expected to participate in a 'Reclaim the Night' march at midnight on Wednesday, demanding the "independence to live in freedom and without fear". The march takes place just before India's Independence Day on Thursday. Outraged doctors have struck work both in the city and across India, demanding a strict federal law to protect them. The tragic incident has again cast a spotlight on the violence against doctors and nurses in the country. Reports of doctors, regardless of gender, being assaulted by patients and their relatives have gained widespread attention. Women - who make up nearly 30% of India’s doctors and 80% of the nursing staff - are more vulnerable than their male colleagues. The crime in the Kolkata hospital last week exposed the alarming security risks faced by the medical staff in many of India's state-run health facilities.” Read more: Soutik Biswas, BBC
“Anti-parliamentarism was a surprisingly prevalent discourse in Indian politics in the 1930s and 1940s. Its proponents were Leftist organizations such as Roy’s Radical Democratic Party [RDP] and factions of the Socialist Party of India [SPI], but also thinkers whom we might, broadly, describe as social conservatives. Gandhi’s far-reaching critique of modern democracy, first articulated in Hind Swaraj (1909) and then repeated throughout the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, certainly did much to lend public support, visibility, and legitimacy to strands of anti-parliamentary thought.” Read more: Grant Wong, Journal of the History of Ideas
“The Hindu sacred month of Shravan honours the god of destruction Lord Shiva, and in northern India, it has become increasingly associated with mob violence by saffron-clad devotees… Millions of people mark the month by trekking -- some hundreds of kilometres -- to collect holy water from the sacred Ganges river and carry it home to shrines, a celebration of the monsoon rains and new beginnings. Many are young and poor men, dedicated to their deity -- but also partying and taking a break from tough day-wage labour for a rare few weeks of fun, blaring loud music and smoking strong cannabis.” Read more: Arunabh Saikia, Yahoo News
“Human Rights Watch analyzed all 173 campaign speeches by Modi after the election code of conduct took effect on March 16. The code forbids appealing to “communal feelings for securing votes.” In at least 110 speeches, Modi made Islamophobic remarks apparently intended to undermine the political opposition, which he said only promoted Muslim rights, and to foster fear among the majority Hindu community through disinformation. Modi has rejected allegations of anti-Muslim bias, pointing to India’s democratic, secular, and diversity standards… During the campaign, Modi regularly raised fears among Hindus through false claims that their faith, their places of worship, their wealth, their land, and the safety of girls and women in their community would be under threat from Muslims if the opposition parties came to power.” Read more: Human Rights Watch
Tech -
“The banking sector in India has long been at the forefront of technological advancements, leveraging data and innovation to enhance customer experiences and streamline internal processes… Earlier this year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also expressed concerns about specific applications of AI in banking, such as algorithmic-based lending processes. The RBI has informally highlighted ten fundamental tenets for financial institutions adopting AI models to uphold. These include “fairness, transparency, accuracy, consistency, data privacy, explainibility, accountability, robustness, monitoring and updating, and the imperative of human oversight”.” Read more: Ananya Moncourt, Nasscom
“India's antitrust regulator is backtracking from its accusations against Apple and the App Store because of a legal technicality. In 2021, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) began its investigation following a company from a group called "Together We Fight Society," regarding App Store fees and rules. In July 2024, the CCI announced that it had concluded that Apple has "significant influence" over digital products and services. The CCI said this in a 142-page report which referred to how "app developers have no choice but to adhere to Apple's unfair terms." Crucially, however, the full report was not released publicly — but it is the reason Apple was able to get the CCI to withdraw its accusation.” Read more: William Gallagher, Apple Insider
“The latest Economic Survey attempts to encapsulate the state of the Indian economy over the past year, but for the most part echoes the praise for DPIs and techno-solutionism that has become commonplace for Indian leaders and government departments to push for in recent years… There is no anchoring law, policy, or act of Parliament governing such vast public systems or providing baseline safeguards—like grievance redress mechanisms—for most DPIs operational in India today. There is little publicly available critical and human rights analysis on the infrastructure, and the success or efficacy of such mixed models in provisioning state functions is yet to be convincingly demonstrated in the Indian academic space.” Read more: Disha Verma, Internet Freedom Foundation
Watch/Listen -
Bonus -
‘Shocked, Didn't Receive any Money', says Olympian Ashwini Ponnappa on SAI Claim of Providing 1.5 cr
“Indian doubles badminton player and Olympian Ashwini Ponnappa said on Tuesday (August 13) that she received little to no individual financial assistance from the sports ministry in the run up to Paris Olympics. The doubles star said that even her request for a coach was denied ahead of the tournament, reported Business Standard… Sports Authority of India (SAI) had released a document, detailing the financial support provided to the Paris-bound Indian athletes. The SAI document says that Ponnappa was provided Rs 4,50,000 under TOPS and Rs 1,48,04,080 under Annual calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC). The SAI said that the amount included the procurement of Game Ready recovery equipment, international competitions and sparring partner in the Tokyo cycle.” Read more: The Wire
written the absolute truth.