Author: ForumIAS

India ASEAN target swift deal on RCEP Context With an aim to further trade ties, India and ASEAN on Friday agreed to target a swift conclusion to the comprehensive and mutually beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2018. Commit to use India’s $1-billion line of credit to enhance connectivity as per master plan for… Continue reading India ASEAN target swift deal on RCEP

Trump must walk the talk: Karzai Context Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai called upon U.S. President Donald Trump to “walk the talk” on curbing Pakistan’s support of extremist forces. Mr. Trump, in a tweet at the beginning of the year, had chastised Pakistan for giving “safe haven to terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan” Backdrop Jaipur… Continue reading Trump must walk the talk: Karzai

Natural partners in the Asian century Context There is a need for a fresh perspective in India’s China policy Continental shift Asia already accounts for almost half of the world’s population, half of the world’s container traffic, one-third of its bulk cargo and 40% of the world’s off-shore oil reserves. It is home to several… Continue reading Natural partners in the Asian century

ASEAN rising Context As leaders of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathered in New Delhi this week, India’s ties with ASEAN got a dose of both symbolism and substance. The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, followed by their attendance at the Republic Day parade as joint chief guests, underlined the new consensus on the need… Continue reading ASEAN rising

India should be proactive: ASEAN Context All leaders at the just concluded ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit had urged India to play a proactive role in the Asia-Pacific region, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said here on Friday The bloc sees New Delhi as key to Indo-Pacific region’s peace and prosperity, says MEA The official statement… Continue reading India should be proactive: ASEAN

NASA keen on India-made technology for spacecraft Context A new thermal spray coating technology used for gas turbine engine in spacecraft developed by a Rajasthan-based researcher has caught the attention of a NASA scientist, an official said. Satish Tailor’s thermal spray coating useful for gas turbine engine Expressing his interest in the research, James L.… Continue reading NASA keen on India-made technology for spacecraft

What are we teaching the robots? Context Hearing ‘VR, AR, AI, Bitcoin’ in one sentence is like hearing ‘5GB, 512KB and Pentium’ in the late ’90s. It fires up your inner geek. But to the discerning, VR and AR are so 2017 that they are almost retro. And at the moment, Bitcoin is looking bubblier… Continue reading What are we teaching the robots?

All borders to be fenced, says Rijiju Context By the end of 2018 or early 2019, smart fencing will be deployed all along the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Pakistan border to prevent infiltration and illegal migration, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said on Sunday. Backdrop Passing-out parade of the second all-woman batch of Central… Continue reading All borders to be fenced, says Rijiju

Red alert on the green index Context India’s poor ranking in the Environmental Performance Index should force a policy appraisal India’s poor ranking in the Environmental Performance Index should force a policy appraisal Reports, late last year, on India’s improved ranking in the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ Index (from 130 to 100) have been cause… Continue reading Red alert on the green index

Rebuilding our cities  Context Soon after World War II, Americans chose to align their cities not with European ideals but with places that reflected American conditions. That great swathes of cheap land and newer technologies for construction were available meant that the new American city could have denser civic centres, a large component of suburban… Continue reading Rebuilding our cities