The Kashmir valley should have been in seasonal bloom, but was, alas, in flames following multiple armed encounters between Indian security forces and jihadi terrorists in Shopian and Anantag, with 12 of the latter and three soldiers losing their lives. To this list must be included four civilians. Around 100 stone-throwing protestors were injured as the security forces replied with tear gas and gun fire. Pro-jihadi protestors appeared in force, raining stones on the police and army. Train services in the Valler were suspended and schools, colleges and shops closed.
Hurriyat strike call
Separatist Hurriyat leadership including Syed Ali Shah Geelani,Mirwaz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik were arrested. Geelani wants Kashmir to merge with Pakistan, while Yasin Malik calls for an independent Kashmir, issued a two-day strike call. Meanwhile General Officer Commanding, Lt General A.K Bhatt, briefing the media, said: ‘Among the slain terrorists, two were involved in the killing of Lt Umar Fayez in May 2017.’ The dead terrorists were named as Rayees Thokar and Ishfaq who belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen.
Intelligence inputs rise
According to the Jammu and Kashmir police chief S.M. Vaid, most of the jihadis were post-2016 recruits. The silver lining is the active cooperation of ordinary families and the intelligence they supply which in recent times have enabled security forces from mounting coordinated strikes to devastating effect (Hindu 2, 5)
The challenge posed by Hurriyat is not simply local; it has wider ramifications, key to which is the establishment of an Islamic state, engineered by external players such as IIS, al Qaeda and Taliban. The consequences for Indian security would be dire if this were to fructify.
Dalits on rampage
Dalits across north India went on a rampage believing their rights as a disadvantaged community were being diluted by a Supreme Court order. The central government, in desperate straits, appealed to the court to revisit its ruling. However, the court turned down the appeal, arguing that no erosion or affront to Dalit sensibilities were envisaged in its judgment, which had only addressed abuses and infringement of individual rights. Dalit agitation, said the justices, was based on misperception. Be that as it may, continuing sporadic violence against Dalits and the lack of jobs may sparked the violence but provided no enduring solution.
Violence no solution
Violence is counter-productive. It makes the situation even more fraught in an endless cycle of frustration and despair. A work by a Mumbai-based author several years ago told of the careers of millionaire Dalits, who had returned to the villages of their childhood and youth to engage in philanthropic activity, one of which was to restore derelict temples from which had once between forbidden to enter because of their alleged lowly birth.Progress may have been slower than desired, but violence has nothing tangible to offer in the long or short run. (Times of India, Economic Times, Hindu April 3).
RSS appeal
Surprisingly, it was the RSS leadership who injected common sense and a measure of vision. RSS head Mohan Bhagwat said there was no place factionalism in the making of a new India, that terms like ‘Congress-free India’ or ‘Sangh-free India’ had polarized political life in the country. The opposition as much the government had a constructive role in nation building, he said, which was encouraging to hear and read (Hindu April 2).
Educational Rankings
The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore has continued its dominance in the higher education category. Among the other institutions of merit were IIT-Madras in second place, with the foremost record in engineering; IIT-Bombay came third, IIT-Delhi fourth, IIT-Kharagpur fifth, JNU-Delhi sixth, IIT-Kanpur seventh, IIT-Roorkie eighth, BHU ninth and Anna University, Chennai 10th; IIT-Guwahati dropped from the list of first ten IITs to 12th place.
Top colleges
Miranda House, Delhi, was ranked first, St Stephen’s College, Delhi second, Bishop Heber Tiruchirappali (Kerala) third, Hindu College, Delhi fourth and Presidency College, Chennai, fifth. Also on the list were Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi, and Lady Shri Ram college, Delhi.
Medical institutes
First was AIIMs, Delhi, second PGIMER, Chandigarh, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, fifth, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow.
Management
IIM Ahmedabad, first, IIM Bangalore, second, IIM Calcutta, third, IIM, Lucknow, fourth, IIM, Bombay, fifth Law.
Three top places in this category are: National Law School of India, Bangalore, National Law University, Delhi, and Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad. The categories in the above list were made by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in Delhi (Times of India April 4).
Chennai company buys top Serbian brand
Leading Chennai-based tractor manufacturer and exporter, TAFE, has bought iconic Serbian tractor and agriculture equipment brand IMT. Industrija Masina I Traktora, the Belgrade-based tractor brand was one of the largest manufacturers of agricultural machinery in the region before it slipped into bankruptcy and ceased production in 2015. Mallika Srinivasan, CEO of TAFE said she could neither confirm nor deny the rumoured price of the acquisition.
‘With the acquisition by TAFE, the generation, the production of IMT tractors is expected to recommence in about 12 months’ time. We will support them with the supply of components and aggregates for the rollout of tractors.’ (Business Line April 4).
JLR India for new models as sales surge
Tata Motors Jaguar Land Rover announced plans to bring new products in India during 2018-19 in response to the extraordinary 83 per cent surge in its sales last fiscal ending March 31. ‘Our sales were driven almost equally by the Jaguar and Land Rover brands,’ said JLR India Managing Director Rohit Suri (Business Line April 4).
Maruti’s 50 per cent market share
Maruti Suzuki has 50 per cent market share. The country’s biggest car maker sold 1.5 million units for the first time since its arrival in India three decades ago. It has been an astonishing rise from near obscurity to luminous eminence. Maruti Suzuki Chairman R.C. Bhagarva said the company’s investment in diesel technology when the fuel was cheaper than petrol, as well as in new models and sales networks had helped it expand its market share. It has been a performance of legendary scale, a niche in India’s industrial history like no other brand (Economic Times April 4).
Setback for GSLV 6A
GSLV SAT 6A Mission designed for a geosynchronous position 36,000 km above Earth ran into difficulty in the third manoevre to raise its orbit when communications with the satellite from ISRO’s ground control station were lost. Attempts to restore communications have thus far been unsuccessful, but efforts are still being made to retrieve the situation. The mission has not been officially aborted but hopes of doing so are receding by the day.
India pips Japan in steel production
In a major shift in the tectonic plates, India has passed Japan as the world’s second largest manufacturer of raw steel. China is first in league producing 50 per cent of the world’s total. India surpassed the US in 2015. India’s current steel production stands at 93.311 million tones. Nikunj Turakhia, of the Steel Users Federation of India, said: ‘ The government has taken a host of steps to curb imports, push local demand with initiatives like “Make in India”, implementing GST and fast tracking projects, to encourage the domestic market.’ The Steel Ministry was working on a road map to increase steel production to 300 million tonnes by 2030. ‘In addition, quick resolution of various big-ticket steel mills under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the National Company Law Tribunal is expected to further hasten higher capacity.’ ( Hindu April 5)
India, Russia to bolster defence ties
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Russian counterpart General Sergey Shoigu held a bilateral meeting in Moscow to discuss ways to reinforce cooperation between their countries. ‘The talks were aimed at reinforcing defence cooperation focusing specifically on Military Technical Cooperation,’ the Defence Minister’s official Twitter handle said. Ms Sitharaman is attending the Seventh Moscow Conference on International Security (Hindu April 5).
India, Japan, US naval Cooperation
Representatives of India, Japan and the United States met in New Delhi for the 9th trilateral conference on keeping sea lanes secure and functioning. The statement issued at the conclusion of their deliberations reads: ‘The officials reviewed the outcome of the Trilateral Infrastructure Working Group that met in Washington in February and agreed to continue to collaborate to promote increased connectivity in the Indo-Pacific.’ The officials explored practical steps to enhance cooperation in the areas of connectivity and infrastructure development, counter proliferation, counter-terrorism, maritime security, maritime domain awareness and human assistance and disaster relief.’ (Hindu April 5).
Monsoon forecasts Encouraging
The monsoon this year is likely to be normal with no prospect of a drought, according to private forecaster Skynet. Normal rainfall meant getting to within 4 per cent error. While June is likely to receive excess rainfall, there could be a deficit in July and August, the critical monsoon months and crucial for a good harvest. The official India Meteorological Department with its long-range estimate will be announced next week (Hindu, Business Line April 5).
