The intention of the JV guidelines notwithstanding, the policy document suffers from certain weaknesses which may impact its objective of enhancing national defence industrial capability.
The intention of the JV guidelines notwithstanding, the policy document suffers from certain weaknesses which may impact its objective of enhancing national defence industrial capability.
The discovery of extracting unconventional (shale) gas through hydraulic fracturing has revolutionised the gas industry in the US and has given rise to a debate over whether it has the potential to reverse the emerging geopolitical equations in the global energy sector which was hitherto seen to be tilting in favour of the conventional energy producers.
There is a real danger that India’s strategic space in West Asia could be further constricted due to the rising political tensions on account of the Iranian nuclear imbroglio.
The 13/2 terrorist attack against the Israeli diplomat exposes India to the possibility of a more potent and professional group, which may have already raised the capability levels of indigenous terror cells and created a threat which is both real and potent.
India’s overall approach at the UNSC in the past year was focused on projecting and representing the opinion of the developing world, addressing problems through regional solutions and achieving as much progress as possible through diplomacy and dialogue.
Notwithstanding positive developments over the last decade, certain grey areas in industrial licensing and FDI policy need further improvement to facilitate the private sector’s more meaningful participation in the Indian defence industry.
While the project that produced the Report engaged some credible scholars from western universities and elsewhere, but the control and leadership exercised on the project by known non-proliferation activists may have sent a wrong signal to the non-western world.
In recent years, the intensity of the occurrence of natural disasters has increased manifold. Responding to this, the Government of India has undertaken various measures to mitigate the impact of disasters. Even so, the response of the civil authorities is often found inadequate and the armed forces are called out to assist the civil administration. The armed forces never fail to respond in a prompt manner, but without proper data on various local resources, skills, essential services and equipment.
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations have attracted the attention of the global community in recent years. Building capabilities, interoperability and a conceptual framework for participation in these operations is gaining increasing urgency among Indian policymakers. The Indian armed forces have a wide experience of disaster relief operations both at home and abroad, where they have been the core of relief operations.
