France, the only major Western country not to impose sanctions on India after the 1998 Pokhran-II tests, already has three big defence projects with India – the Rs 23,562-crore for Scorpene submarines, the Rs 10,947-crore upgrade of Mirage-2000s and the Rs 6,600-crore acquisition of MICA missile systems. Now, it has bagged the Rafale deal......
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=219&Name=COVER%20STORY-defence%20rafale%20deal
France, the only major Western country not to impose sanctions on India after the 1998 Pokhran-II tests, already has three big defence projects with India – the Rs 23,562-crore for Scorpene submarines, the Rs 10,947-crore upgrade of Mirage-2000s and the Rs 6,600-crore acquisition of MICA missile systems. Now, it has bagged the Rafale deal......
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=219&Name=COVER%20STORY-defence%20rafale%20deal
With the Indian defence forces having a budget of $30 billion for procurement of weapons and allied systems, the 7th Def Expo will see the presence of all major armaments manufacturing giants in the national Capital this March.....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=224&Name=DEFENCE%20-%20def%20expo%202012
Policy paralysis has hit the small arms manufacturers in the private sector the worst, raising a question mark on their very survival.......
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=225&Name=DEFENCE%20-%20private%20sector
India’s defence procurement process needs further tuning as it has been unable to address some core concerns of the industry and vendors......
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=226&Name=DEFENCE%20-%20procurement
Global Investors Meet (GIM) to be held in Bangalore from June 3 to 4 is another opportunity for the Karnataka government to attract investment. Venugopalan spoke to Minister for Large & Medium Scale Industries Murugesh R Nirani, to find out about the investor-friendly initiatives taken by the State Government. Excerpts.......
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=229&Name=TALK%20TIME%20-%20murugesh%20r%20nirani
It is a pity that every chief minister is crying foul against the National Counter Terrorism Centre but we need an agency that links all bodies involved in internal security and crime, says former Delhi Police Commissioner Ved Marwah......
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=231&Name=FIRST%20STIRRINGS
With no fears of accountability in the party, many Congress leaders are running amok in the political theatre, making uncalled for statements in public......
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=230&Name=POLITICS%20-%20inside%20congress
The ruling party in Karnataka allegedly pays journalists to the tune of nearly half-a-crore rupees every week and the process is looked after by an eight-member committee with great precision.....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=232&Name=STATESCAN
A recent incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district has once again put the limelight back on the ‘rivalry’ between two premier services in India, the IAS and the IPS.....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=233&Name=MY%20CORNER%20-%20grievance
An IPS officer of 1998 batch, belonging to the UT cadre, the action-oriented and hard-working Anil Kumar Ojha joined as DCP, South-West district, in place of Sharad Agrawal, IPS, last year in March. He talks about the challenges he faced and how is he overcoming them......
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=234&Name=RAPID%20FIRE%20-%20anil%20kumar%20ojha
At the peak of the budget fever, someone asked P K Kaul, former Cabinet Secretary, who had also been Finance Secretary, “Is it true that Finance Ministry officials are locked up in North Block for several days on budget duty?”...
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=236&Name=SILLY%20POINT%20-%20humour
THE markets played the way I wrote in my column last month advising investors to book profits whenever they saw a rally of 15-20 per cent. Most bull runs start with scepticism where the people go short with every rise and then rush to cover their short positions further fuelling the upward momentum.....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=242&Name=STOCK%20DOCTOR%20-%20dr%20gs%20sood
A brand new Land Rover drew to a halt on Cuffe Parade in Mumbai. The Maharashtra Police escort screeched to a stop behind it. No, it was not some heavy-duty politician but our very own Zee TV boss, Subhash Goyal. It seems that having government security is no longer a privilege enjoyed by to politicians and senior bureaucrats. Leading.....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=220&Name=Bric-a-brac-roles%20&%20controls
The Maharajah’s woes did not happen overnight. He was unseated by those who wield real power, our ministers. The tale of the national carrier is an unending saga of whims and fancies. For instance, Air India needed air hostesses when Ghulam Nabi Azad was the Civil Aviation Minister. The management interviewed many aspirants...
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=221&Name=Bric-a-brac-roles%20&%20controls
There is no dispute about where the power centre is in the Congress Party. When Sonia Gandhi calls a Minister, the latter arrives promptly, does not question why he has been summoned and doesn’t dare to speak anything, except for saying yes, yes to Madam. The scene is totally different when they meet Manmohan Singh, so what if he is the Prime Minister.....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=222&Name=Bric-a-brac-roles%20&%20controls
Is Dinesh Trivedi the Railway Minister? Yes, of course, everybody will say that he is. But the answer is not as simple as it looks. Trivedi is an accomplished politician who has travelled a long way since the days of his association with Chimanbhai Patel, the former Chief Minister of Gujarat. And so he maintains a calm front and keeps up the pretence that.....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=223&Name=Bric-a-brac%20-%20roles%20&%20controls
The Indian Embassy in Myanmar is awaiting a First Secretary (Development) at the level of a Deputy Secretary. As per a Government circular, dated November 28, 2011, the officer had to relocate with immediate effect. So far, so good! But nobody paid heed to the circular and months passed.....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=238&Name=...by%20the%20way
Madhya Pradesh is reportedly being run by a coterie of officers. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, his wife Sadhna and brother-in-law are very happy with the coterie as their every desire is fulfilled on a mere phone call....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=239&Name=...by%20the%20way
The Prime Minister’s Office has become very active on Twitter ever since Pankaj Pachauri joined as Communications Advisor. The PMO keeps tweeting off and on about major meetings or decisions taken. And, naturally there are replies or comments from followers.
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=240&Name=...by%20the%20way
Election results of five assemblies are out and what next? Obviously, another election. The Election Commission has put August 11, 2012 for electing a new Vice-President of India. Former Chief Central Information Commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah (1968 IAS J&K) has suddenly emerged....
http://gfilesindia.com/frmArticleDetails.aspx?id=241&Name=...by%20the%20way
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selection of Dassault Rafale to meet the Indian Air Force’s requirement
of a Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) was deliberately kept as
low key as the short-listing of Rafale and Eurofighter. The objective
was clearly not to attract too much attention to the deal in the middle
of critical assembly elections, where the Congress Party had entered the
arena with clear indictment of its role in disbursement of highly
profitable 2G contracts.
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India
plans to procure weapons and allied systems for $30 billion in the
coming seven to eight years and recession-hit western economies are
desperate to gain a foothold in order to provide jobs back home, be it
the US, Europe or Russia. |
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ndia
Inc and the media have off late been extremely vocal about the slowdown
in economic decision-making process. They have dubbed this as a ‘policy
paralysis’ In their criticism, they cite the delays in big-ticket
reforms, particularly on allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in
airlines sector or in multi-brand retailing. However, they gloss over
the fact that some economic policy decisions have virtually remained
unimplemented for more than a decade. A case in point is the manufacture
of state-of-the-art small arms and ammunition (SAA) by the private
sector....readmore
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hAT
India has been, still continues and likely to be one of the world’s
largest arms importers is to state the obvious. Notwithstanding a
sizeable defence science technology and industrial (DSTI) base, resource
allocations for defence equipment purchases have witnessed a
spectacular growth in the last decade and if projections are to be
believed, such allocations could cost between $150 billion at the
minimum and touch or cross $200 billion in
the next 10 years. Although India’s budgetary allocations for national
defence, especially in capital expenditure spheres, stands much lower in
comparison to countries like the US or China, two primary factors – the
ongoing long-term military modernisation programme that necessitates
equipping a formidable...readmore|
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The
HPT-32 has had a chequered flight as a basic trainer and on many
occasions was temporarily grounded due to accidents resulting from
recurring technical defects in its engine. The IAF had warned the
Government and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that HPT-32 would
have to be phased out earlier than planned, and that the induction of a
new basic trainer had become an urgent necessity. But neither the
Government nor the HAL took any concrete action. Finally in July 2009,
after a fatal crash involving two pilots in an HPT-32, the IAF grounded
the entire fleet of 116 aircraft as being unsafe to fly. The original
planned phase-out of HPT-32 was to be in 2014, by which time HAL’s new
basic trainer – the HTT-40 – would have been ready...readmore |
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Hospitals
in districts and local bodies across Karnataka will provide the Indian
system of medicine as an alternative treatment, Chief Minister D V
Sadananda Gowda said at the first-ever International Conference on Yoga
and Naturopathy in Bangalore recently..readmore
Global
Investors Meet (GIM) to be held in Bangalore from June 3 to 4 is another
opportunity for the Karnataka government to attract investment. Venugopalan spoke
to Minister for Large & Medium Scale Industries Murugesh R Nirani,
to find out about the investor-friendly initiatives taken by the State
Government. Excerpts:|
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Over
the last few years, an impression has steadily gained ground in the
party that under the current leadership there is neither any
accountability nor any responsibility. All you need is the backing of a
senior, powerful leader, preferably in Sonia Gandhi’s inner coterie, and
you have got it made. No questions asked and no explanations require.......readmore |
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Karnataka,
surely you know, is a leading state in India. So, it is quite natural
that even in the age of Nira Radia leaked tapes, the establishment in
Bengaluru has not allowed its scale of gratification to turn
insignificant by allegedly distributing every week, through an
eight-member committee of the ruling party, one crore, forty-three lakh,
seventy thousand rupees.|
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The
IAS and IPS, as we all know, are the two most powerful pillars of the
Indian administrative structure. People are heard using the words IAS
lobby and IPS lobby, ascribing meanings to how officials of these two
services function. It is also a common perception that the associations
of IAS and IPS officers are powerful enough to make....Readmore|
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On being the DCP of the South-West district…|
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a,
this form of poetry thrived from the early days of ancient
civilisations. As far as our own glorious civilisation is concerned,
from Rig Veda to Upanishada to Bhagavad Gita, all stand testimony to
compositions of the most brilliant verses. These verses conveyed a
complete sense in two lines and at times it flowed into four lines. Some
of those four-liners have survived thousands of years and are
remembered by common people till now, long after the decline of the
Sanskrit language. The most famous couplet is probably: “Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata......readmore|
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Kaul
gave a serious reply, as befitted an ex-senior bureaucrat speaking on
national television. Had I been there, I could not have resisted the
temptation of referring to the monkey population of North Block. I do
not think the process of budget preparation will be complete without
elaborating upon their contribution.|
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red
beacon car following them. Admittedly, businessmen in Mumbai are often
targeted by mafia sharpshooters. So, while they already had private
security well in place, something which was no big deal for them, it did
not give
them the kick and power that came from having government security in
place. No wonder then, with an official escort behind his Land Rover.....readmore|
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Aviation
Minister. The management interviewed many aspirants – beautiful,
well-mannered and cultured girls – for the upwardly mobile profession.
Suddenly, the management got a call from the Minister’s office and were
asked to present the selection list. When the Chairman and the selection
team visited the Minister’s office, Mr Azad chose to hand over his own
‘selected’ list of 23 aspirants. It was then found that only five of the
Minister’s|
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here
is no dispute about where the power centre is in the Congress Party.
When Sonia Gandhi calls a Minister, the latter arrives promptly, does
not question why he has been summoned and doesn’t dare to speak
anything, except for saying yes, yes to Madam. The scene is totally
different when they meet Manmohan Singh, so what if he is the Prime
Minister. This
was proven once again recently when 17 top private power producers,
like Cyrus Mistry, Anil Ambani, Gautam Adani and GM Rao, met the Prime
Minister to discuss the coal supply crisis, seeking an assurance on
regular supplies. Two-thirds of India’s coal requirement is met by Coal
India, which has been headless for long. The Minister for Coal,
Sriprakash Jaiswal, was at that time camping in Uttar Pradesh canvassing
for Congress candidates. Given the seriousness of the situation, he was...readmore|
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s
Dinesh Trivedi the Railway Minister? Yes, of course, everybody will say
that he is. But the answer is not as simple as it looks. Trivedi is an
accomplished politician who has travelled a long way since the days of
his association with Chimanbhai Patel, the former Chief Minister of
Gujarat. And so he maintains a calm front and keeps up the pretence that
he controls the Railway Ministry in front of the media or the political
fraternity. But, the real story is something different. Insiders in the Trinamool Congress confirm that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is still the de facto boss
of the Railway Ministry. Dinesh Trivedi is just a face. As reports
emanating from Rail Bhavan suggest, Trivedi is not happy with the way
the Ministry is being run.
The
Indian Embassy in Myanmar is awaiting a First Secretary (Development)
at the level of a Deputy Secretary. As per a Government circular, dated
November 28, 2011, the officer had to relocate with immediate effect. So
far, so good! But nobody paid heed to the circular and months passed.
Suddenly, a fresh circular appeared on the official website, with the
joining deadline of March 5, 2012. But to no avail. Then again, another
circular appeared on February 16, 2012, calling for applicants and
stating that those who had applied earlier need not apply again as their
names....readmore
Madhya Pradesh is
reportedly being run by a coterie of officers. Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan, his wife Sadhna and brother-in-law are very happy with
the coterie as their every desire is fulfilled on a mere phone call. But
as is the wont of such coterie politics, there are many annoyed and
aggrieved souls. One such IAS woman officer has created a furore in
Bhopal by threatening to approach anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare
and no less......readmore
The
Prime Minister’s Office has become very active on Twitter ever since
Pankaj Pachauri joined as Communications Advisor. The PMO keeps tweeting
off and on about major meetings or decisions taken. And, naturally
there are replies or comments from followers. But last month there was a
peculiar situation when the PMO tweeted, ‘PM is meeting all Planning
Commission members today as they get ready to prepare the 12th Plan.
Send in your ideas and we will forward them’. The 12th Plan is ready to
roll out and nobody was expected anybody......readmore
Election
results of five assemblies are out and what next? Obviously, another
election. The Election Commission has put August 11, 2012 for electing a
new Vice-President of India. Former Chief Central Information
Commissioner, Wajahat Habibullah (1968 IAS J&K) has suddenly emerged
as a strong contender for the prestigious post. If one looks at the
impeccable track record of his personal and his hierarchical background,
no doubt he appears to be a better choice than others. He is the son of
Enaith Habibullah, a highly decorated soldier (won the DSO in the
Africa campaign as part of 16th cavalry, a premier tank regiment) and
founder of NDA, Kharakwasla. His grandfather was the fifth Vice
Chancellor of Lucknow University. An alumni of Doon School and St.
Stephens College, Wajahat........ readmore
