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Nepal's former Foreign Minister, Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani, says India should take the lead in the economic integration of the region and carry the smaller states along with it towards the path of economic prosperity.

It is clear that countries in the region would like to see India play a greater security role in the Indo-Pacific - that is India should be more proactive, rather than reactive. India should take advantage of the opportunities, and take on responsibilities.

India should worry over the claim of Ansar-ul-Tawhid ul-Hind, a terrorist organisation, that Anwar Bhatkal, one of their brethren and related to Riaz Bhatkal, the founder of Indian Mujahedeen, attained what they call martyrdom battling in Afghanistan. We also cannot ignore the claims of Maulana Salman Hussaini Nadvi that he would raise a force of 5,00,000 to support Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.

The euphoria of the new leadership in Sri Lanka towards the northern Indian neighbour may have set the right tone and tenor for further betterment of bilateral relations as in regional and international contexts.

In many ways, India and China are running parallel growth stories with high GDP growths. However, China seems to be taking stock of what has not been achieved by their high GDP growth and India should also be more concerned with the well-being of all Indians for a more harmonious society.

Though Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had recently claimed that China and India are "natural strategic partners", the reality is somewhat more complex. Because we have witnessed Beijing's curious move on the Depsang plains in April, on the eve of their prime minister's visit to India. And just hours before Antony was due to land in Beijing, Major General Luo Yuan was breathing fire against India.

The global economic slowdown presents an opportunity for the Indian industry to work on low cost medicines

The Indian public sphere is unlikely to engage comprehensively with the happenings in the run up to the Russian presidential elections. On the other hand, the Indian establishment will keenly follow political developments in Russia as the importance of the election outcome.

The larger theme of Narendra Modi is that India, Japan and China have many common interests and that all of them have to build on them and thereby initiate the Asian Century by working together and make the Asian Century a truly peaceful and prosperous one.

There is a blithe assumption in India that national construction will happen on its own. That is simply not true. The states and the Union government need ever closer cooperation and coordination in a host of issues. Sadly, what we are confronted by are leaders who are busy shoring up their vote banks, a sure recipe for a crisis somewhere down the line.

Recent developments clearly illustrate that India needs to urgently address some of its internal dynamics to ensure that its neighbourhood policy can achieve the desired results.

Even if we go by the Financial Times' FDI figure, let's remember that having low FDI inflows for a year or half a year does not mean much. China has received, on average, $100 billion per year in the last decade compared to India's annual $20 billion figure. The best way to compare is looking at the per-capita FDI stock, which is $691 for China compared to $181 for India in 2013.

Capabilities that China builds to deal with the US can easily be turned against India. However, India does not have to assume that such conflict of interest with China is inevitable. India can reach out to China. It will be to the benefit of both countries to engage in periodic military CBMs.

Obsolescence and numeric deficits in the Indian arsenal are a result of a host of factors, from planning to procurement processes. The blame game is easy within defence establishments as any stakeholder can accuse the other without much accountability.

The success of the next India Africa Forum Summit as well as the future of India-Africa relations not only depends on India's ability to develop an attractive and sustainable approach to Africa, but also on the willingness of African leaders to look beyond Beijing when partnering up with foreign investors.

It is time that earnest efforts are made to fulfill the dream of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to make borders between India and her neighbours irrelevant. A good way could be periodic appraisal of the infrastructure and holding periodical meetings of border States from East, West and South.

Central Asia, which is seen by India as a potential region to explore its wider energy options in the form of hydrocarbons, hydro-electric power and uranium reserves, is apparently slipping out of its hands largely due to the energy stance of other countries.

India's Natural Gas sector is at the crossroads. Production from newly discovered fields is set to match and eventually exceed production from mature and declining fields posing a challenge for the Administered Price Mechanism [APM] which has hitherto subsidised the cost structure of gas consuming segments in India.

East Africa is the fastest growing region in the resource-rich continent. India has a long-standing relationship with the region and an enterprising and successful diaspora has been living there for over a century

For Lima and Paris climate change negotiations to succeed in achieving consensus, the issue of equitable response to the climate crisis must be creatively reimagined. And, to negotiate action on climate change despite many challenges, India should promote a more fine-tuned form of differentiated responsibility -- not just between countries, but within them as well.

While many countries still regard cyber security and space security as 'future challenges', or issues that will need to be dealt with in the coming years, India is already tackling them today.

India must streamline its defense procurement processes, and reverse declining capital investment relative to personnel costs

With the labour force participation rate expected to rise significantly in the coming years in India, it is imperative that the government formulates a common policy on business development and regulation. India's high economic growth story cannot be taken for granted.

While aid has inherent political angles, India's development cooperation aid is not, and cannot be, solely political in purpose, says MEA Additional Secretary P.S. Raghavan. He says development projects will be objectively aimed at capacity building.

As the annual Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore begins this week, Indian Defence Minister will not be present for the meeting suggesting that the tone of disinterest in Asian defence diplomacy set by the previous government appears to continue.

India may have a geopolitical interest in the South China Sea area, but it is driven by an economic need. India must make its presence felt and pursue its engagements in the area. This in turn will involve a continued effort to cooperate and collaborate with the Southeast Asian nations.

India launched its economic reforms 25 years back. Looking back, it seems if Dr Manmohan Singh's dream team had continued with the reforms during Singh's premiership, India would not have to lose a decade. Then India would have reaped the breakthrough benefit.

Noting that India, Bangladesh and Nepal are transiting poor economies, Jayshree Sengupta, Senior Fellow, ORF, says there is an urgent need to focus on holistic development in these countries and enhanced connectivity between them to improve economic relations.

The security architecture in maritime Asia along with the rise of China is compelling India to define its strategic interests and review its maritime policy. And it is only a matter of time before New Delhi acknowledged the changing dynamics within its area of maritime interests.

As a country committed to social objectives, Indian policy makers consider the allocation of commercial forms of energy too important to be left entirely to the market. India¿s mistrust of the market arises from social and commercial concerns that are entirely justifiable, but the multitude of administrative mechanisms introduced to replace the market mechanism often work at cross-purposes.

Billions of dollars in FDI have been assured to India thanks to Prime Minister Modi's successful foreign tours. However, there also has to be real technology transfer that spills over to the local economy. Only then, Modi's dream of FDI as 'First Development India' can be fulfilled.

India's former National Security Advisor M K Narayanan thinks that the country's external relations are set to undergo a sea change. "The first half of the 21st Century will be a soft period, but as time progresses, things will not be so smooth," he cautions.

The defining moment in India's international relations did not occur when Delhi voted with the US and its allies on Iran on the IAEA board. The real watershed in India's foreign policy occurred in May 1998,

The foreign policy of the Modi government is the continuation of the foreign policies introduced by the Manmohan Singh government, whose hallmark was the concrete decision to link India's economic transformation and growth of India with its foreign policy approach and objectives, says Dr. Shashi Tharoor.

The primary task of India's foreign policy is to ensure an external environment that is conducive to the country's transformation and development.What are the issues and what kind of foreign policy would enable us to eradicate poverty, to grow at 8-10 percent and to transform India into a moderately well off State where our people can realize their potential? You can question the goal, but if you accept these as the goals, you end up with three c

With trade wars and financial realignments looming, India's success in this evolving landscape will depend on its ability to balance collaboration with autonomy

An increasingly global strategic outlook from India will impact U.S. foreign policy in significant ways. A conference co-hosted by ORF and the Heritage Foundation examined the issues involved and the interplay between India's economic path and its global strategic outlook.

Despite China becoming India's biggest trading partner in 2011, the bilateral trade has seen a downward trend since then, with 2013 registering a 1.5% decline. The current trade deficit with China stands at $ 31.42bn. Alarming levels of deficit has now cast a shadow on the once flourishing trade.

India's GSLV launch is significant both from the commercial and strategic perspectives. In addition to the large number of domestic satellites ready to be launched using the heavier launch vehicle, a successful launch will also mean India's ability to cash in on the large lucrative foreign satellite launch market.

Not having a focused national health policy and leaving it to the states to take care of this serious issue is not going to improve India's health profile or indicators. This is already evident in the growing number of diseases that make seasonal rounds in all cities and towns.

Political rhetoric on India's leadership in the Indian Ocean isn't matched by the facts on the ground.