Front Page

• China, India fast-track BCIM economic corridor project: One of the strategic factors driving the creation of this corridor will be a reduction of reliance on the Straits of Malacca, militarily dominated by the U.S. This will also provide sea access to the land-locked North-Eastern states via Kolkata and the port of Sittwe (in Myanmar).

• Housing, urban schemes give primacy to people’s vision: The mechanism of these projects aims to end the top-down approach of bureaucracy and lead to a people-centric urban development. They also have a mechanism against delays. AMRUT, which replaces the JNNURM, will give the States and the Union Territories the liberty and flexibility in formulation, approval and execution of projects.

Editorial/Opinion

• Blocking justice: China has blocked an Indian request in the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee seeking a clarification from Pakistan on the release of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. India hopes to build  sufficient international pressure towards Pakistan’s lackadaisical attitude  about the terrorists on its soil.

• The narrowing Persian gulf: Sealing the Iranian nuclear deal will mark the triumph of diplomacy over a military solution, with wider global implications in the form of a more normal relationship between the U.S. and Iran. India will also be a beneficiary of the deal.

• Death of a journalist: This deals with the protection available to whistle-blowers, and the perils that investigative journalists face.

• A carriage of injustice: The Madras High Court order advocating mediation for a rape case raises serious concerns about how the crime of rape is perceived by the judiciary.

• Let IIMs be free of government stranglehold: World-class institutions are not built by politicians, but by those working within them. So, these working people should have full power over how to best do their job. This is part of a series of articles over the past week covering the proposed Institutes of Management Bill, 2015.

• How Cameron is fuelling radicalisation: The Current British Prime Minister risks alienating Muslims by generalising the actions of a few of them to cover the whole Muslim community, especially in his country.

National

• Don’t take away our autonomy, say IIMs:  Writing to the Ministry of HRD, the Director of IIM-Ahmedabad has cautioned against several provisions in the Institutes of Management Bill, 2015 like the Centre deciding the procedure to appoint Chairpersons of the Institutes.

International/ World Affairs

• Affordable Care Act is here to stay, says Obama:  Money spent by a person in healthcare had been made eligible for tax breaks. The US Supreme Court has upheld this availability of tax subsidies.

• Myanmar votes to keep military veto: A motion to amend Myanmar’s constitution in order to remove the military’s legislative veto on key decisions was defeated, which means the military continues to play a powerful role even in the legislation of law. Expect further articles on what effects the excessive power of the military has had in Myanmar.

Economy/Business

• Bad loans may persist for a while: The Financial Stability Report (FSR) of the RBI has stated that a few more quarters will witness deterioration of asset quality of scheduled commercial banks, especially public sector banks.

• Banks allowed to borrow from global institutions: To make the funding process easier, the RBI had decided to allow banks to borrow from global multilateral financial institutions for general banking business without seeking the central bank’s approval first.

• Govt will not denationalise CIL: Amidst the ongoing wave of privatisation, the govt will not denationalise the Maharatna public sector undertaking Coal India Limited.

• Centre to hold parleys with states on e-commerce: To address tax disputes that have cropped up between leading e-retailers and some states, the Govt is going to hold discussions with State governments to seek views on a policy for business-to-consumer e-commerce.

• BRICS bank to start by April: The New Development Bank (NDB) has been formed by the BRICS countries as an alternative to the Western-monopolised World Bank. This bank aims to be different with regard to the speed of lending, currency diversification and the absence of rating nations for funding purposes.

• MPO set for accelerated growth: India’s medical process outsourcing segment has benefited from an evolved medical education system and has established its prowess as a hub for outsourcing, and medical tourism.