Above the fold: Top stories of the day
1. The Madhya Pradesh government has finally asked the state high court to hand over the Vyapam scam investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
2. The National Investigation Agency has filed its closure report in the 2008 Modasa blast case, in which the suspects were Hindu extremists. A number of cases allegedly involving Hindu extremists have been falling apart.
3. A Turkish Airlines flight bound for Istanbul from Bangkok made an emergency landing at the Delhi airport after a message scrawled in lipstick on a washroom mirror warned of a bomb attack.
The Big Story: Now for an Indian Silk Route
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-nation odyssey in Central Asia, through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, was always an ambitious diplomatic project. In Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Modi talked Islamic terror. He also launched drilling by ONGC Videsh in the Satpayev oil fields and invited the resource rich country to invest in Indian renewable energy, manufacturing and smart cities. That pretty much sums up his twin concerns in the region.
India has had a marginal presence in these secretive post-Soviet economies, which present a possibility and a potential threat. The region's enormous hydrocarbon resources have drawn both China and the West into it. China, in particular, seems to consider Central Asia its natural sphere of influence, investing heavily, establishing a trade partnership and drawing on the region's rich mineral resources. India may not be able to match the Chinese presence but there is certainly room for growth, through greater economic cooperation, infrastructure building and trade. Bolstering Central Asia's prosperity will also be key to its ability to withstand the menace of terror, which hangs low over it. Afghanistan is in danger of falling under the influence of the Taliban and the Islamic State, and Pakistan is riven by radicalism within its borders and fighting insurgencies in its northwest. India needs to cooperate with Central Asia in containing the terror threat. Creating pools of support in the region will help in doing that.
In Ufa over the next few days, Modi will be attending the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which consists of four of the "stans", China and Pakistan. This is the first time that India attends as a full member. In the years to come, it must use this forum to further its objectives of cooperation and containment.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's biggest story
Why Central Asia should be the exception to Modi's strategy of trying to match China, how Babur, Timur and Shastri: as Modi visits Tashkent, a short history of Indo-Uzbek ties and how a Kazakh violinist is energising the Western classical music scene in India.
Politicking & Policying
1. The government will put NGOs under close scrutiny. At least 125 representations had been received from NGOs, objecting to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules.
2. At the National Judicial Appointments Commission hearing, the Supreme Court observed that the seniority of judges in the apex court and the short tenures of chief justices of India were not "a matter of chance".
3. The Millennium Development Goals Report, 2015, says that India has halved the incidence of extreme poverty in the country, bringing it down from 49. 4% in 1994 to 24.7% in 2011, beating the UN deadline of 2015.
Punditry
1. TR Andhyarujina in the Indian Express writes that the Emergency also affected the freedom of the Supreme Court, for the "tides of history do not pass judges by".
2. Vijay Prasad in the Hindu writes that India sent a disturbing signal to Palestine as it abstained in a crucial vote which would allow the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli war crimes.
3. Baijayany "Jai" Panda in the Times of India writes of the dangers of courts not distinguishing between consensual and coerced sex.
Don't Miss
M Rajshekhar on the Mizoram government, which spends a fortune on itself and is now struggling to provide basic services to people.
1. The Madhya Pradesh government has finally asked the state high court to hand over the Vyapam scam investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
2. The National Investigation Agency has filed its closure report in the 2008 Modasa blast case, in which the suspects were Hindu extremists. A number of cases allegedly involving Hindu extremists have been falling apart.
3. A Turkish Airlines flight bound for Istanbul from Bangkok made an emergency landing at the Delhi airport after a message scrawled in lipstick on a washroom mirror warned of a bomb attack.
The Big Story: Now for an Indian Silk Route
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's five-nation odyssey in Central Asia, through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, was always an ambitious diplomatic project. In Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Modi talked Islamic terror. He also launched drilling by ONGC Videsh in the Satpayev oil fields and invited the resource rich country to invest in Indian renewable energy, manufacturing and smart cities. That pretty much sums up his twin concerns in the region.
India has had a marginal presence in these secretive post-Soviet economies, which present a possibility and a potential threat. The region's enormous hydrocarbon resources have drawn both China and the West into it. China, in particular, seems to consider Central Asia its natural sphere of influence, investing heavily, establishing a trade partnership and drawing on the region's rich mineral resources. India may not be able to match the Chinese presence but there is certainly room for growth, through greater economic cooperation, infrastructure building and trade. Bolstering Central Asia's prosperity will also be key to its ability to withstand the menace of terror, which hangs low over it. Afghanistan is in danger of falling under the influence of the Taliban and the Islamic State, and Pakistan is riven by radicalism within its borders and fighting insurgencies in its northwest. India needs to cooperate with Central Asia in containing the terror threat. Creating pools of support in the region will help in doing that.
In Ufa over the next few days, Modi will be attending the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which consists of four of the "stans", China and Pakistan. This is the first time that India attends as a full member. In the years to come, it must use this forum to further its objectives of cooperation and containment.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day's biggest story
Why Central Asia should be the exception to Modi's strategy of trying to match China, how Babur, Timur and Shastri: as Modi visits Tashkent, a short history of Indo-Uzbek ties and how a Kazakh violinist is energising the Western classical music scene in India.
Politicking & Policying
1. The government will put NGOs under close scrutiny. At least 125 representations had been received from NGOs, objecting to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules.
2. At the National Judicial Appointments Commission hearing, the Supreme Court observed that the seniority of judges in the apex court and the short tenures of chief justices of India were not "a matter of chance".
3. The Millennium Development Goals Report, 2015, says that India has halved the incidence of extreme poverty in the country, bringing it down from 49. 4% in 1994 to 24.7% in 2011, beating the UN deadline of 2015.
Punditry
1. TR Andhyarujina in the Indian Express writes that the Emergency also affected the freedom of the Supreme Court, for the "tides of history do not pass judges by".
2. Vijay Prasad in the Hindu writes that India sent a disturbing signal to Palestine as it abstained in a crucial vote which would allow the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli war crimes.
3. Baijayany "Jai" Panda in the Times of India writes of the dangers of courts not distinguishing between consensual and coerced sex.
Don't Miss
M Rajshekhar on the Mizoram government, which spends a fortune on itself and is now struggling to provide basic services to people.
"As one of our first stories observed, Mizoram has very little industrial activity. As much as 90% of its revenues come from the central government. In such a setup, the state government is the biggest economic engine in the state.
And over the years, state politicians have become adept at using the state's resources to win support by doling out patronage. Voters are doled out cash through the state's principal rural development programme – the New Land Use Policy."
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