India

The prospects of allocation for the next year being less than the allocation for the current year are remote because of the immense implications it would entail, although it is likely that the growth in the budgetary allocation for the next fiscal may be less than what has been the case in the past.

The Agni-VI and Prahaar both signify unnecessary missile projects, which have been developed in the interests of DRDO technical and bureaucratic ambitions rather than the stated interests of India’s nuclear doctrine.

According to a recent report, India will need 3, 128 Trillion watt hour per year (TWH) of electrical energy in the future if it adopts a frugal policy for energy use. This annual need could be met through renewable energy sources alone in the form of solar power (photovoltaic [PV] and thermal), wind, and hydroelectric power. But is this change in energy mix really feasible?

India’s first aerospace-focussed SEZ that QuEST Global has set up at Hattargi village near Belgaum seeks to transform the Indian aerospace sector by striving to create a well-endowed aerospace ecosystem at one location.

It is time that India’s offset regulations and defence procurement procedures are weeded for provisions formalising differential treatment against Indian bidders.

STI 2013 envisages the creation of a word-class infrastructure for R&D and skill development as well as encouraging the scientific community by providing adequate opportunities and better career options.

This commentary attempts to map out some of the salient options for India in the region east of the Indian Ocean, that is, from the South China Sea (SCS) extending to the South Pacific. A maritime debate, the role and function of the Indian Navy is thus central.

While 2012 saw ISRO’s 100th space mission, its continued dependence on a single operational launch vehicle in the form of the PSLV has meant dependence on foreign launch services for heavier class satellites.

The ‘Arab Spring’ is the popular rejection of the political and economic scenario that has prevailed across the Arab world from Morocco to Yemen over the last 100 years. In the post-colonial era following the Second World War, country after country in Asia, Latin America and, recently, in Africa moved towards establishing a democratic political system.

The power blackouts on 30 July 2012, first in north India and again in north, north-east and eastern India, which plunged seven northern Indian states into darkness for several hours, disrupting normal life, underline the critical state of the country's energy security. Apart from the discomfort and inconvenience to residents, several essential services such as water supply, city transport systems (including the metro and national railways), mining, health and banking and financial sectors, came to a standstill for hours.