Search: For - Development

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Exploring the hydropower potential in India’s Northeast
May 12, 2023

Exploring the hydropower potential in India’s Northeast

The Northeastern states of India have massive potential for harnessing hydroelectricity. While the government has rightly recognised this capacity as crucial to boosting the growth of the region, the pace of development has remained slow, and marred by many problems. This brief builds on the “43rdReport on Hydro Power” presented in Parliament in January 2019 by the Standing Committee on Energy, to assess the prospects of the hydropower sector

Exploring the India-France 'special relationship'
Nov 02, 2013

Exploring the India-France 'special relationship'

The Ambassador of France to India, H.E. Mr. Francois Richier, has underlined the importance of a comprehensive agreement on migration and mobility, which would feed into increasing bilateral education and business opportunities.

Exploring ways to strengthen India-Africa partnership
Oct 28, 2010

Exploring ways to strengthen India-Africa partnership

Taking note of the winds of change sweeping through the resource-rich and people-rich African continent, ORF organised a day-long round-table to unravel the implications of the resurgence of Africa for the India-Africa partnership.

Explosions in Xinjiang
Jan 27, 2005

Explosions in Xinjiang

The " China Daily" reported on January 22,2005, that 13 persons were killed and 18 others injured in two separate explosions in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region coinciding with the Eid-al-Adha religious festival.

Exports and e-commerce in India
Oct 24, 2017

Exports and e-commerce in India

This paper attempts to make a contribution in the context of the recent push in making India an e-empowered economy for promoting exports. The study stems from the premise that exports respond significantly to the costs associated with breaking into foreign markets and sustaining in those markets, whereas e-commerce offers a ready platform to minimise such costs. The empirical exercise focuses on export decision and export intensity, after adjust

Expressing concern: India's balancing act on Gaza
Aug 28, 2014

Expressing concern: India's balancing act on Gaza

India has moderated its position on the Israel-Palestine conflict over time, exchanging statements of condemnation for those "expressing concern". But behind India's strategic balancing act there also lies a precise domestic calculus.

Extremism in Pak Army poses grave threat to world
Aug 13, 2010

Extremism in Pak Army poses grave threat to world

The US Quadrennial Defense Review panel's recent (July 29, 2010) report to the US Congress had a very telling remark about Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies which raises a whole new spectre of violence the world is likely to confront in the years ahead.

F-16 Lollipop for Musharraf
Mar 28, 2005

F-16 Lollipop for Musharraf

President Bush notified the US Congress on March 25,2005, of the intention of his administration to clear the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan.

Facing China threat, Vietnam seeks American balance
Jun 05, 2013

Facing China threat, Vietnam seeks American balance

Vietnam's self-assured pursuit of a complex balance of power strategy could be a model for other medium powers in Asia who are deeply concerned about the rise of China, want Washington to balance Beijing, but are reluctant to become formal military allies of the United States.

Fai's ISI connections: Few implications
Aug 01, 2011

Fai's ISI connections: Few implications

The activities of Ghulam Nabi Fai of the Kashmiri American Council, which became public after his arrest, show how vulnerable the India-Pakistan engagement could be to Pakistan Army?s dogged pursuit of anti-India policies.

Failure divides Pakistan
Sep 28, 2005

Failure divides Pakistan

Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf, has never been as much under the threat of elimination through a coup or a bullet as he is today. There is no doubt that he faces extreme danger from some of the vicious terrorist and extremist groups, most of whom he had helped grow powerful in today's Pakistan.

Fair share of nuclear power
Jan 17, 2006

Fair share of nuclear power

The Iran nuclear issue is touching yet another point of criticality. The build-up was evident to the naked eye, the crescendo almost predictable. It was six weeks ago that Secretary of Iran¿s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, expressed Teheran's frustration that EU-3 (Britain, France and Germany) was stonewalling in the negotiations, meandering into blind alleys, lost in thoughts.

Fall in crude oil prices: How long will the boon last for Modi?
Jan 21, 2015

Fall in crude oil prices: How long will the boon last for Modi?

Oil is critical to India as it imports almost two thirds of its need, constituting 37% of its total imports. A $1 drop in oil prices could approximately save 40 billion rupees. The drop in oil prices currently looks like a blessing for India, but there could be some downslides too in the long run.

Falluja: Another US pyrrhic victory?
Nov 10, 2004

Falluja: Another US pyrrhic victory?

If the George Bush Administration in the US were wise, it would have waited for the current holy fasting period of the over one billion Muslims of the world and their Eid festivities to be over before launching its much-publicised and much-hyped offensive to pacify Falluja, the Sunni stronghold in Iraq, which is apparently perceived by the Pentagon as the nerve-centre of the anti-US resistance and jihadi terrorism in Iraq.

Falluja: Iraq's Tora Bora
Dec 14, 2004

Falluja: Iraq's Tora Bora

Since 1995, when the first incident of jihadi terrorism took place in Saudi Arabia, there have been 25 acts of terrorism as indicated below:

Farce and Facts for Obama
Aug 30, 2010

Farce and Facts for Obama

When I heard that President Barak Obama would address a joint session of Parliament during his November visit, a chill ran down my spine. Images of President Bill Clinton's foray into the Central Hall of Parliament during his visit in March 2000,

Fast-tracking Sri Lanka peace talks
Apr 09, 2004

Fast-tracking Sri Lanka peace talks

By declaring that India should be actively involved in the Sri Lankan peace process, Mahinda Rajapakse, the newly sworn-in Prime Minister of the island-nation has put both the peace process and India back at the centre-stage back again. Lakshman Kadirgamar, the ruling dispensation¿s foreign policy czar, has said as much. In her maiden national telecast after the parliamentary polls

Faster, higher, stronger
Feb 28, 2006

Faster, higher, stronger

Indo-US relations began to warm up after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. All of a sudden, the New World Order had arrived, yet no one really knew how to adjust to this new reality. Old enemies and old friends had gone, new enemies, threats and friends had to be found ¿ for a State, to survive, needs all three.

Fate of Doha Round: Still opaque
May 03, 2013

Fate of Doha Round: Still opaque

The stalemate in the negotiations questions the legitimacy of the WTO to promote fair and balanced multilateral trade rules that will address the past and current inequities, which developing countries are faced with. In the current situation, it would be useful to frame negotiating proposals which the WTO can take forward to conclude Doha Round.

FDI as a tool of social liberation
Dec 11, 2012

FDI as a tool of social liberation

The social and economic profile of the participants in India's vast retail trade is complex and varied. Besides, there is ample evidence that large sections of the petty bourgeoisie (trader and shopkeepers) may not be happy with their current existence. They would not mind if global capital inflows result in the creative destruction of existing arrangements.

FDI in Retail Trading
Nov 30, 2005

FDI in Retail Trading

There has been a heated debate about opening up the retail trade sector in India to foreign direct investment (FDI). Allowing foreign investment to come in retail trading is supposed to indicate that economic reforms are on track and that like in China , Walmart, Carforre, MAKRO, 7 Eleven and many more giant retail store chains, would be seen in India.

FDI in retail unlikely to benefit small farmers
Nov 30, 2012

FDI in retail unlikely to benefit small farmers

FDA in retail is not the reform that can change the face of Indian agriculture as the problems of small farmers and their vicious cycle of poverty have to end through state action and not by big foreign retailers.

FDI issue clumsily handled by political class
Dec 06, 2011

FDI issue clumsily handled by political class

The Government's decision to bring in FDI in retail has created an uproar, but it is not surprising at all as it has not only been ill-timed but is also being clumsily handled by the political class.

FDI need of the hour: Experts
Dec 21, 2013

FDI need of the hour: Experts

Economic experts firmly believe that FDI is the need of the hour and with political will and good governance measures, it could prove to be crucial in enhancing development in the region.

FDI opening timed wrongly
Dec 05, 2011

FDI opening timed wrongly

Opening up retail trade should not have happened at a time when inflation is high, GDP growth rate is falling, industrial growth and exports are declining. Unfortunately, it would take a long time for the multi-brand retailers to establish their own supply chains and hence inflation is unlikely to come down in the near future.

Fear of Persia: Saudis call for a Gulf Arab Union
May 16, 2012

Fear of Persia: Saudis call for a Gulf Arab Union

As Delhi focuses on managing Washington's pressure to reduce oil imports from Iran and avoid the imposition of unilateral U.S. economic sanctions on India, it could easily miss the unfolding power play in the Gulf between Tehran and Riyadh.

Federalism is a reality, not a shibboleth
Mar 15, 2012

Federalism is a reality, not a shibboleth

Regional parties should not think of federalism merely in terms of anti-Congressism. This seems to be the tendency, with regional satraps like Mamata Banerjee and Jayalalithaa hyphenating regional concerns with their own political goals.

Feudal State still lords over in UP
Jun 06, 2014

Feudal State still lords over in UP

In Uttar Pradesh, the zamindari system may have been abolished more than six decades ago, but feudalism has stayed: The biggest feudal lord being the State itself which lords over cattle, women, the marginalised communities and minorities alike.

Fifty Years of India's Energy Policy
Sep 01, 2006

Fifty Years of India's Energy Policy

The First Energy Ministry of India was constituted under interesting circumstances. The former Energy Minister of India, Shri K. C. Pant delivered a talk at ORF on July 14, 2006 presenting his views on the fifty years of India's energy policy

Fighting corruption should not be reduced to a national past-time
May 31, 2011

Fighting corruption should not be reduced to a national past-time

Any Lok Pal Bill to be meaningful needs to have in-built saving mechanisms that protect the dignity not only of the individual but more so of the high offices that they hold. Otherwise, there is always the possibility of anti-corruption wars could get reduced into a national past-time.

Fighting Future Wars: Preparing India for Conflicts in the 21st Century
Aug 14, 2023

Fighting Future Wars: Preparing India for Conflicts in the 21st Century

A nation-state—with its numerous institutions, actors, and daily interactions—is a complex system and it is a tall task to predict the future trajectory of any of its sub-systems such as the armed forces. What is certain, though, is that every sovereign state aims to have a military that is of the highest possible calibre. One of two paths may be chosen to achieve this goal: tying-in the military’s capability development with the ec

Fighting limited wars: A major challenge for the military
Jul 05, 2010

Fighting limited wars: A major challenge for the military

In January 2000, when I spoke about the concept of limited conventional wars under the nuclear threshold at an international seminar in New Delhi, there was considerable uproar in the media and the strategic community, particularly in Pakistan.

Fighting the 'Islamic State', with Islamic States as Allies?
Sep 15, 2014

Fighting the 'Islamic State', with Islamic States as Allies?

If the War on Terror-2.0 is to be carried out only by drones and the US/NATO Air-forces, one can be certain that the 'Islamic State' will retain control over its territory in Iraq and Syria for a long time to come.

Fighting the Islamic State, without a strategy
Sep 24, 2014

Fighting the Islamic State, without a strategy

Does Obama really intend to defeat, disrupt and dismantle the ISIS terror structure or will he simply guide them away from Iraq and Turkish borders towards Damascus.

Figures don't reveal the real picture of unemployment
Aug 09, 2012

Figures don't reveal the real picture of unemployment

President Barack Obama has to understand the Indian psyche before advising rapid economic reforms and realise that without adequate safety nets, open unemployment will be a scourge for India.

Finally, Modi goes to Russia
Jul 07, 2015

Finally, Modi goes to Russia

Indian PM Narendra Modi this week makes his maiden visit as Prime Minister to Russia, one of India's closest strategic partners. This seeming delay in travelling to Russia may surprise some, given that the Prime Minister has travelled to almost all the major powers as well as most of India's immediate neighbourhood.

Financial inclusion a viable business model now
May 10, 2012

Financial inclusion a viable business model now

Out of the 660,000 habitations in India with a population of 100 or more, only 33,000 have a commercial bank branch. That's approximately one branch for every 20 habitations.

Financial inclusion is the key
Jan 16, 2015

Financial inclusion is the key

India's self-image needed a re-boot. This rebooting of India's 1.3 billion aspirations was conducted by the Prime Minister on the 15th of August last year. He did it with characteristic simplicity, by a simple call for "Make in India". Financial inclusion is the building block for unleashing the creative capabilities of this country.

Financial Inclusion of Women: Current Evidence from India
Aug 17, 2023

Financial Inclusion of Women: Current Evidence from India

Financial inclusion is critical to achieving the economic empowerment of women—one of the targets under the fifth Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality. In India, one in every five women lack access to a bank account. Although the country’s programmes promoting financial inclusion have increased the percentage of women having access to a bank account, wide gaps remain in account use, and access to savings and credit. Women c

Financing India’s Green Transition
May 12, 2023

Financing India’s Green Transition

Climate change has emerged amongst India’s most formidable challenges to sustained GDP growth. To accelerate the implementation of the country’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and advance its progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, finance is key. India needs to develop a comprehensive strategy and an integrated policy approach that aligns the country’s financial systems with the long-term needs of the economy while incor

Financing Regenerative Agricultural Practices: A Recommendation for BRICS
Sep 17, 2021

Financing Regenerative Agricultural Practices: A Recommendation for BRICS

The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) have all declared their commitment to climate action and the implementation of the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This brief makes a case for BRICS, as a forum, to build a strategy for financing regenerative agriculture; key should be the creation of a joint fund. If implemented correctly, the brief argues, such a strategy of giving back to the land, instead of merel

Financing Solar Projects Under JNNSM
Sep 08, 2011

Financing Solar Projects Under JNNSM

Observer Research Foundation, in collaboration with BRIDGE TO INDIA and Solar Energy Society of India, organized a round-table discussion on "Financing the Solar Projects under JNNSM" on 9th Aug, 2011.

Financing the radicals
Nov 02, 2010

Financing the radicals

The existence of an embedded financial network of militant organisations in Bangladesh will seriously undermine the global effort to neutralise global terrorist networks entrenched in the region.

Finding a judicious way out of Mullaperiyar impasse
Feb 08, 2012

Finding a judicious way out of Mullaperiyar impasse

The Mullaperiyar dam agreement commits only the waters of the reservoir to Tamil Nadu. It does not guarantee supplies if the dam fell into disuse. So, a new agreement with commitments from Kerala for fixed supplies would be in Tamil Nadu's interest too.

Finding adequate funding for infrastructure a big challenge
Oct 21, 2015

Finding adequate funding for infrastructure a big challenge

Financing of infrastructure in India will remain a big problem despite the fact that the government has issued infrastructure bonds with tax incentives. Finding external finance is thus very important because the amounts required would be in billions of dollars.