There are many local variations, and these could be the best fit (as opposed to best practice) options for achieving the fundamental, desirable outcomes — voice, participation, accountability and civil freedoms. The movie Lagaan captured a romanticised version of one such epic match between untrained Indian villagers and the British district officer’s team, which ends improbably with the former defeating the latter. Of these, 14 are in Western Europe; two each in Latin America (Uruguay and Costa Rica) and in Asia/Australasia (Australia and New Zealand); Canada in North America and Mauritius in sub-Saharan Africa. The score in 2017 and 2018 fell to a never-before low of 7.Democracy is like God.Democratic accountability also means being uniformly responsive to distress and being fair in positive affirmation initiatives. This improved to 7. It also does not triangulate with the relative ground realities.No such luck however in real life.92 in 2014. Consider that South Korea, at rank 21, and Japan, at rank 22, are placed higher than the United States, at rank 25.One wonders what purpose such classifications serve beyond reinforcing the 1970s-style impossible objectives of aid programmes to make all developing countries into pale and often dysfunctional replicas of Denmark.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2018 — a political league table, consisting of 165 countries — is unbelievably picky about what constitutes a democracy. It is clubbed into a catch-all classification of Asia and Australasia — which comprises around 60 per cent of the global population.The United States and India are the two democracies which function at an unprecedented scale in the history of democratic governance. But it shall be uniformly made available to all citizens who are eligible, irrespective of caste, religion or region.Countries beyond the "democratic pale" like Russia, China, North Korea and 36 others (nearly one-third of all countries) with a 36 per cent share of the global population, are classified as "authoritarian". Is this just ennui or a depressingly shortsighted "old world" focus?Consider also that merely 20 countries with a share of 4. To be sure they— of which the Ease of Doing Business Index is the best known — have their uses. China nut insert Suppliers Thereafter it declined before picking up to 7.80 in 2008. Countries get incentivised to trim a lot of accumulated fat by updating processes, reforming unsupportive structures and improving poor outcomes. They also grapple with enormous economic and cultural diversity and embedded constitutional arrangements, which distribute political powers to sub-national and local governments.5 per cent of the global population qualify as "full democracies". Democracy is also about using state resources for universal social support and protection. The significance of these steps can only be understood in the post-Independence, historical context of complete disregard for the welfare of the poor among the upper castes and Muslims, the latter simply being left to the care of madrasas (religious schools) tightly controlled by the Islamic clergy. This must really rankle in Washington.In short, they curate a very unequal cricket match between a well-honed team — say Norway — which is designated as the ideal, versus others. On both these counts, the Modi government has scored.69 in 2013 and was at an all-time high of 7.First, the Narendra Modi government brought in affirmative action for the poor in government jobs and education for those castes and religions which were left out of the existing schemes.23, possibly on account of unchecked hate crimes, informal constraints on the media and legislative initiatives which are perceived to be born out of an anti-minority sentiment. All the other lower castes already enjoy this benefit via a 50 per cent reservation. The EIU’s democracy framework, by being blind to history and to context, is not doing itself any favours. This is the "aspirational" lot which includes India, the United States, South Africa, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, South Korea, most of Southeast Asia, Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Mexico. This set is possibly in transition to the "flawed democracy" status, whilst the "authoritarian" set is possibly irredeemable. Meanwhile, the residual 40 percent of the world’s population is studied in as many as six subsets.A total of 55 countries (one-third of the 165 countries) with a share of 43 per cent of the global population are categorised as "flawed democracies". But the one big flaw of such indices is that they ignore the context in which countries and economies function and the history they are coming from.But consider that during that same period there have been contrary signals which speak to the resilience of Indian democracy and the positive outcomes generated by electoral politics. The Modi government has initiated a cash transfer scheme for 100 million poor farming families — defined as possessing less than two hectares of land — an election sop, possibly, to dull the pain of farm distress resulting from a bumper crop and falling farm gate producer prices.For starters, it is weird that South Asia — with a population of nearly two  billion people (26 per cent of the global population) — does not qualify as one of the seven separate sub-sets.This set is possibly in transition to the "flawed democracy" status, whilst the "authoritarian" set is possibly irredeemable. Its score (out of a maximum of 10) was 7. International league tables come with their own limitations. The new 10 per cent quota will benefit the upper-caste poor and poor Muslims. How does one weigh this progressive "never before" initiative against the regressive Hindutva preoccupation of the government for greater institutionalisation of Hindu religion and culture?Second, democracy is also about using state resources for universal social support and protection.  Cross-country assessments against a strict global template are notoriously flawed.A similar number of countries with a share in the global population of 17 per cent are classified as "hybrid" — examples being Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan

Presenting a well detailed overall view of the Indian Navy during his pre-Navy Day (December 4, 2018) interaction with the media, the Navy Chief, Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, shared significant inputs about the Navy’s current and future acquisitions. The contract for procurement of 12 Dornier aircraft was signed with HAL (Kanpur) on December 29, 2016 with delivery commencing on January 2019. The vessel will join the Coast Guard fleet in May 2019 after extensive tests and trials. The acquisition is being appropriately planned in a phased manner to enable capacity building with focus on consolidation. The SP model envisages indigenous manufacturing of major structural rivets defence platforms by an Indian strategic partner, who will collaborate with a foreign OEM to set up production facilities in the country. The 105 m long vessel with a capacity of accommodating 242 personnel is powered by twin diesel engines of 10,400 KW and can move at a speed of 20 knots. The Indian Navy’s website defines its four roles — military, diplomatic, The Indian Navy’s third Scorpene-class submarine Karanj is pulled into the Arabian Sea after its launch ceremony at the Mazagon Dock Shipyard in Mumbai. The aircraft would enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness of the Indian Navy through round the clock sensor-based surveillance and provide targeting data in areas of operation to ward off terror and other threats from sea.

The writer, a retired Army officer, is a defence and security analyst based in This approval is the second such project following indigenous production of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters that was approved in August 2018.Seven ship acquisition contracts for 51 ships/boats were signed during the last four years. It is expected to acquire 50 new vessels and around 40 aircraft in the next four years. Construction of six submarines under Project 75(I) will provide a major boost to the existing submarine design and manufacturing ecosystem in India through transfer of design and equipment technology as well as the necessary skills.As per the Indian Navy’s maritime capability and its perspective plans, the current strength of 150 ships/submarines and 250 aircraft is aimed to be increased to 200 ships/submarines and 500 aircraft.The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), in a recent landmark decision approved indigenous construction of six submarines for the Indian Navy at a cost of over `40,000 crore.On the naval aviation front, a long standing critical shortfall in the naval helicopter fleet has been finally addressed with the accord of AoN for 111 utility helicopters in August 2018 and issue of LOR (letter of request) for 24 multi role helicopters in November 2018. The induction of Vikrant will provide a significant fillip to the Navy’s blue water capability, increasing the reach and impact of carrier-borne strike forces, both as a means of deterrence as well as during combat operations.

Even as the Supreme Court has issued a stay on the works of the Shiv Smarak, fishermen and marine experts have expressed fear that the memorial will destroy rich coral varieties, thus violating the Indian Wildlife Protection Act." However, the apex court on January 11 directed that construction of the memorial be stopped. The memorial will come up at 1. During low tide, fishermen will be unable to take boats into the sea even at a distance of 500 metre.The project will also affect fishing activities near the coast, according to them. "The proposed site for the memorial includes a rocky patch where immense coral  and marine life. The state government has appointed L&T for the construction of the Shiv Smarak, the memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian Sea.Marine expert Pradip Patade China Weld Stud Nuts Factory alleged that the state government was turning a blind eye tow-ards the preliminary environmental assessment study carried out for the project.Damodar Tandel from the Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kriti Samiti said "Fishing has been banned within 500 metres of Cuffe Parade and Raj Bhavan area.2 km from Raj Bhavan. The project will also affect fishing activities near the coast, according to them."Mr Tandel said "We are not against the Shiv Smarak, but are opposing to the site selected at Nariman Point.The state government has appointed L&T for the construction of the Shiv Smarak, the memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian Sea. The preliminary survey by the Central Marine Fishe-ries Research Institute has revealed that the project will lead to elimination of several protected marine species," he said

The sector, which includes an estimated 25 million small store owners, largely supported Modi in the 2014 general election.The curbs, announced on Wednesday, surprised foreign e-commerce firms as little had been done by the government despite over three years of lobbying by domestic retailers. Bhartia, president of the Confederation of All India Traders, said some small businesses had seen earnings more than halve in the last few years as they struggle to compete with low prices offered by the American-controlled behemoths.B."We clapped and voted for Modi believing in his promises.Amazon said in its statement it was evaluating the new guidelines to engage as necessary with the government so it could remain true to its vision of "transforming how India buys and sells and generating significant direct and indirect employment.The sector, which includes an estimated 25 million small store owners, largely supported Modi in the 2014 general election. 1, e-commerce firms such as Amazon. The government, which must hold a general election by May, is also expected to come up with new support programs for farmers as their opposition grows due to low crop prices.

The last-minute policy change is too little and too late," he said."Flipkart said the advent of e-commerce had created hundreds of thousands of jobs and "the industry was set to be a major growth driver for the Indian economy and create millions of jobs in the future.Intended to prevent predatory pricing and deep discounting, the curbs follow intense lobbying by India’s many millions of small China Blind Rivet Nut Factory shopkeepers and the middlemen who serve them, particularly after Walmart this year spent USD 16 billion to acquire Flipkart.Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is widely viewed as panicking after losing five state elections this month. India’s new curbs on e-commerce companies may not be enough to win over small store owners and traders in next year’s general election, with the key voting bloc still seething over what it sees as broken promises by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.C.Bhartia said if the government was serious about the concerns of small traders, it should prosecute violators of trade rules and appoint an independent regulator to curb malpractice.A September report by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated online commerce in India would grow 25 per cent a year for the next five years, hitting USD 100 billion a year by 2022.com and Walmart-owned Flipkart Group will not be able to sell products from companies in which they have an equity interest or form exclusive agreements with sellers.Flipkart declined to comment on the specific allegations

It was a final nail in the coffin of the SMEs (small and medium enterprises).In the Arjun tank saga, the decades long, millions of dollars costing MBT inducted in the Army in 2009, has been plagued by problems, even as the DRDO marches ahead with its sequel.The evidence is there for all to see, except perhaps the "visionally impaired" who run the initiative, and their overseers, the grandiloquently named Niti Aayog or National Institution for Transforming India.It is in fact the headquarters of the giant Airbus Group and home of the equally mammoth Thales Alenia Space.The effect of these reverses have been a bonanza, wittingly or unwittingly, for the triumvirate of overseas weapon makers, their brokers and adversaries on our borders.The sad state of domestic manufacturing was decades in the making, acerbated by the earlier Manmohan Singh administration’s decade-long blind faith in promoting big business and an IT industry content with producing low grade labour for the US and European markets.The purchase of artillery guns from the Sweden’s AB Bofors in the 1980s and the recent securing of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France’s Dassault Aviation present a different issue - charges surrounding the purchase of good weaponry.This China nut insert Factory crucial lapse has blighted the "Make in India" initiative, which, though noble in its aim to vitalise domestic manufacturing across a wide range of sectors, has now narrowed to focus mainly on the defence sector.

These controversies adversely affect timely acquisition of arms and hurt national interest.Though Bangalore — with its leading Public Sector Enterprise Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) — has the admirable Indian Institute of Science in its vicinity to draw talent from, it is a far cry from France’s Toulouse and at Stanford University in the Silicon Valley in Palo Alto in the US.In India, the government set up a slew of state-owned public sector undertakings (PSUs) and ordinance factory boards (OFBs) that to this day dominate defence manufacturing. The other option, though long drawn, is to revamp our higher education system much as China has done in recent decades.Another model to consider is Stanford University in the United States. The government has now opened up the sector to the private sector, which has off course no recourse but to dip into this same pool of poor talent for its workforce, besides being equally parsimonious in spending on R&D.The other turning point, according to astute observers of this scenario, is the attempt to manufacture state of art military products such as the Marut aircraft with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Arjun main battle tank (MBT) by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). One possible alternative is in attracting elite global institutions would be to insist on their local collaborations as part of offset by their respective countries.41 crore, compared to `85,010 crore for education for the same period.Instead of seeking to enhance our higher technical education through collaborations with globally reputed institutions of excellence, India has opted for outright weapon purchases, with weak, local outsourcing or "offset" requirements from foreign manufacturers.The template for fixing the problem is present in other nations.The criticality of this sector is reflected in the emergence of India as one of the world’s leading importers of defence equipment. A carefully considered combination of the two would be the best