Interesting Readings 16 March 2018
BJP suffers electoral jolt in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
BJP is becoming arrogant. The problem is people realise what reforms are critical. Unfortunately Modi has gone silent on reform and development. He needs to communicate and guide the national sentiment. Further, 80% of BJP is like all other political parties - goons, thugs and fringe elements. They need to be disciplined.
BJP is also suffering from prolonged and relentless campaign by the media. Media is wearing BJP down. In the time when prime minister (the main icon of BJP) is not speaking on reform and process government is using, it has become one sided.
The institutions too are waging a war against reforms - banks and telcos are relentless in their Aadhar marketing. To make it worse they are threatening with dire consequences causing pain - locking of bank accounts, mobile phones etc. Can the BJP not reign them in?
Made-in-India 160 km per hour train to run from June
Suresh Prabhu's efforts are paying dividends. This is the beginning of improvement in Railways.
A day after Patel’s plaint, finmin points to power regulator enjoys
I don't understand why they have to fight in public. Why can't the RBI and Finmin sit and do a dialogue. I mean even Kim and Trump are talking. This public spats are unwarranted. I was not sure about Jaitley as Finance Minister.
Also Mohammad Shami and his wife should shut up and the press should just ignore them.
Trade Wars
America is not the least protectionist country in the world
There I have come to first use of Wakanda as an example in Economics.
World War Watch
Defence Ministry's major push to make LCA Tejas top priority
HAL production capacity is 6 aircraft per year. The aim is to get 16 aircraft per year production rate. If this is what is priority then I believe we need super duper priority. The aim should be to create about 30 aircraft per year. For next 3 years.
As a comparison Lockheed Martin F35 production rate is 17 aircraft per month. It is not totally comparable as there are orders of 3500 F35 pending with Lockheed. But once the Indian capacity is used up for Tejas there will be upgrading and new aircraft etc. HAL's IPO should help proceedings.
Others
The demonisation of Vladimir Putin
Mark GB presents a case that Putin is being wrongly demonized. Russian version of Syrian conflict was more accurate than US/Western version. I am also not a fan of US interfering in elections, parties, coups and political assassinations in guise of bringing democracy.
US has done a great service to the world in second world war. I think the post-war freedom movement was partly result of negotiation by Franklin Roosevelt with the Europeans. That was good. After the World war US entered into a cold-war era which had its issues. Part of US interference in other countries was in light of cold war Soviet financing of the political establishment in other countries. [One can see the parallels with China in this case]. But after the fall of Soviet Russia, US has interfered without reason and merely to further interest of those who lobbied for it. The first war on Iraq was justified but not the second. The mess in Afghanistan was more created by US.
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