Agriculture reforms and farmer suicides

www.iasscore.in
1
Notes
Contents
• Farmer Suicides
• Other Development
A. Soil Degradation-
B. Organic farming : Pramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana - (Traditional Farming
Improvement Programme)
C. Union Government launcheed NOWCAST (a weather alert system) and crop Insurance
Web portal
D. Agriculture extension : steps taken
E. National Agricultural Market through Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund
• Shanta Prasad panel - High Level Committee on Restructuring of FCI
www.iasscore.in
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Agriculture

www.iasscore.in
3
NotesFarmer Suicides
Present status -
1. According to figures of the Ministry of Agriculture published in April
2015, the total number of suicides committed by farmers due to agrarian
issues in the last three years stands at 3313.
2. The five States - Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Kerala - accounted for 3301 of them.
3. Farmer suicides account for 11.2% of all suicides in India.
Reasons -
Activists and scholars have offered a number of conflicting reasons for farmer
suicides, such as monsoon failure, high debt burdens, genetically modified crops,
government policies, public mental health, personal issues and family problems.
There are also accusation of states fudging the data on farmer suicides.
1. Drought
a. As much as 79.5% of India's farmland relies on flooding during
monsoon season, so inadequate rainfall can cause droughts, making
crop failure more common. In the regions that have experienced
droughts, crop yields have declined, and food for cattle has become
scarce. Agricultural regions that have been affected by droughts have
subsequently seen their suicide rates being increased.
2. New Economic Policy
a. Left leaning economists like Usha Patnaik, Jayati Ghosh and Prabhat
Patnaik suggest that structural changes in the macro-economic policy
of Indian Government that favoured privatisation, liberalisation and
globalisation is the root cause of farmer suicides. Others dispute
over such views.
3. GM crops
a. A number of social activist groups and studies proposed a link between
GM crops and farmer suicides. Bt cotton (Bacillus thuringiensis cotton)
was claimed to be responsible for farmer suicides. The Bt cotton
seeds cost nearly twice as much as ordinary ones. The higher costs
forced many farmers into taking ever larger loans, often from private
moneylenders charging exorbitant interest rates (60% a year). The
moneylender was claimed to collect his dues at harvest time, by
compelling farmers to sell their cotton to him at a price lower than
it can fetch in the market. According to activists, this created a
source of debt and economic stress, ultimately suicides, among
farmers. Scholars claim that this Bt cotton theory made certain
assumptions and ignored field reality.
4. Suicide ideation -
a. Southern Indian states have ten times higher rates of suicides than
some northern states. This difference, they claim, is not because of
misclassification of a person's death, for example as homicide, but
because of regional causes. The most common cause for suicide in
India's southern states are a combination of social issues, such as
interpersonal and family problems, financial difficulties, and pre-

www.iasscore.in
4
Notesexisting mental illness. Suicidal ideation is as culturally accepted in
south India as in some high-income countries. The high suicide rates
in southern states of India may be, as suggested by Patel el al, in part
because of social acceptance of suicide as a method to deal with
difficulties.
5. State government field surveys -
a. The Government of Maharashtra, concerned about the highest total
number of farmer suicides among its rural populations, commissioned
its own study for reasons. At its behest, Indira Gandhi Institute of
Development Research in Mumbai did field research and found the
top causes of farmers suicides to be: debt, low income and crop
failure, family issues such as illness and inability to pay celebration
expenses for daughter's marriage, lack of secondary income
occupations and lack of value-added opportunities.
Responses to farmer's suicides -
1. The government appointed a number of enquiries to look into the causes
of farmer’s suicide and farm related distress in general. Rashtriya Krishak
Aayog (National Farmer Commission) visited all suicide prone farming
regions of India, then in 2006 published three reports with its
recommendations.
2. In 2006, the Government of India identified 31 districts in the four states
of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala with high relative
incidence of farmers suicides. A special rehabilitation package was launched
to mitigate the distress of these farmers.
3. The Government of India next implemented the Agricultural debt Waiver
and Debt Relief Scheme in 2008 to benefit over 36 million farmers at the
cost of 653 billion(US$9.9 billion). This spending was aimed at writing of
part off loan principal as well as the interest owed by the farmers. Direct
agricultural loan by stressed farmers under so-called Kisan Credit Card
were also to be covered under this Scheme.
4. The State Government of Maharashtra made it illegal, in 2010, for non-
licensed moneylenders from seeking loan repayment. The State
Government also announced that it will from Village Farmer Self Help
Groups, that will disburse government financed loans,a low rate Crop
Insurance program whose premium will be paid 50% by farmer and 50%
by government, launch of alternate income opportunities such as poultry,
dairy and sericulture for farmers in high suicide prone districts.
5. In 2013, the Government of India launched a Special Livestock Sector
and Fisheries Package for farmers suicide-prone regions of Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.
Effectiveness of government response -
1. The government's response and relief packages have generally been
ineffective, misdirected and flawed, states Surinder Sud. It has focused on
credit and loan, rather than income, productivity and farmer prosperity.
Assistance in paying off outstanding principal and interest helps the money
lenders, but has failed to create reliable and good sources of income for
the farmer going forward. The usurious moneylenders continue to offer
loans at interest rates between 24 to 50 percent, while income generating
potential of the land the farmer works on has remained low and subject
to weather conditions.

www.iasscore.in
5
Notes2. Sud states that the government has failed to understand that debt relief
just postpones the problem and a more lasting answer to farmer distress
can only come from reliable income sources, higher crop yields per hectare,
irrigation and other infrastructure security. Golait, in a Reserve Bank Of
India paper, acknowledged the positive role of crop diversification initiative
announced in government's response to reports of farmer suicides. Golait
added, "Indian agriculture still suffers from: i) poor productivity, ii) falling
water levels, iii) expensive credit, iv) a distorted market, v) many middlemen
and intermediaries who increase cost but do not add much value, vi) laws
that stifle private investment, vii) controlled prices, viii) poor infrastructure,
and ix) inappropriate research. Thus the approach with mere emphasis on
credit in isolation from the above factors will not help agriculture".
3. Furthermore, recommended Golait, a more pro-active role in creating and
maintaining reliable irrigation and other agriculture infrastructure is necessary
to address farmer distress in India.
Suggestions -
Other Developments
A. Soil Degradation-
1. Soil fertility is declining due to -
a. Excessive use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
b. Excessive use of irrigation which leads to water logging and thus
leads to Stalinization and alkalization of soils and water logging.
c. Cultivating same crop repeatedly in the area. That's why crop rotation
is suggested.
d. Duration of fallow has substantially reduced owing to multiple
cropping. This has obliterated the process of natural fertilization
such as nitrogen fixation.
One response in the short run must be to enhance
targeted support for the vulnerable in agriculture,
namely the small farmer and agricultural labourer.
The MGNREGA program has the virtue of being
reasonably well-targeted. The challenge here is to build
on this feature and use the program to build assets
such as rural roads, micro-irrrigation and water
management, while also shoring up rural incomes.
In the medium-term, the time is ripe for a more broad-
based response to the challenges in agriculture and to
ensure that agriculture grows at about 4 percent on a
sustained basis.
One of the most striking problems is how unintegrated
and distortions-ridden are our agricultural markets (see
chapter 8 of this volume, which also offers possible
solutions). India needs a national common market
for agricultural commodities by making the
Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs)
just one among many options available for the farmers
to sell their produce.
Short term response
Medium term
response

www.iasscore.in
6
Notese. Soil erosion due to wind and running water.
f. Thus due to declining soil fertility soil testing is vital. In this sample
of soil is analyzed and recommendations are made about what
elements are needed to optimize it.
2. Soil health card -
a. It has been introduced for the purpose of center to assist the State
Governments in issuing soil health cards to all farmers in the country.
b. Soil health card will provide the following information to farmers
i. nutrient status of their soil.
ii. recommendation on appropriate dosage of nutrients.
c. Soil Health status will be assessed regularly in a cycle of 3 years.
3. Soil Health Card portal -
a. Launched in July 2015
b. Serves as a single unified platform for
i. registration of soil samples,
ii. recording test results of soil samples and
iii. generation of Soil Health Card (SHC) along with Fertilizer
Recommendations.
B. Organic farming : Pramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana - (Traditional
Farming Improvement Programme)
1. In 2015-16 budget, govt announced it. An amount of Rs 300 crore has
been earmarked for the scheme for the year 2015-16.
2. It is a Cluster based programme to encourage the farmers for taking up
organic farming.
3. Its working-
a. Fifty or more farmers will form a cluster having 50 acre land to take
up the organic farming under the scheme.In this way during three
years 10,000 clusters will be formed covering 5.0 lakh acre area
under organic farming.
b. Every farmer will be provided Rs. 20,000 per acre in three years for
need to harvesting of crops and to transport produce to the market.
c. There will be no liability on the farmers for expenditure on
certification.
Organic farming:
1. Participatory Guarantee System portal -
a. It is a portal launched by union government for certifying organic
products in accordance with the standards laid down.
b. The Participatory Guarantee System portal provides for online
registration, approval, documentation, record of inspection and
Certification of organic products produced by a farmer.

www.iasscore.in
7
Notes2. Organic farming is a system which -
a. Avoids synthetic inputs (such as fertilizers, pesticides, hormones,
feed additives etc) and
b. Uses natural fertilizers (compost made from leaves, legumes), natural
insect predators are used for prest control
c. Relies upon crop rotations, crop residues, animal manures, off-farm
organic waste and biological system of nutrient mobilization and
plant protection.
d. Thus it maintains the ecological balance.
3. Evolution :
a. In ancient and medieval era the traditional farming in ancient and
medieval era was organic farming only as there was no use of
chemicals. After the industrial revolution, inorganic methods were
introduced (i.e. chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc). But since 1940s
and people realized its negative effects and led to the organic
movement.
4. Advantages
a. Use of chemical fertilizers leads to various ecological harms like
affecting water quality (ethrophication), GHG emission in its
production and use, soil acidification (&thus poor soil quality). And
all these affects human health. So these problems of chemical
fertilizers are removed.
b. As no natural gas and petro products are consumed in making
fertilizers thus it saves energy.
c. Farmer's income can increase as their money is saved on costlier
agricultural inputs.
d. There is huge demand for organic food in international market, thus
can earn money and boost export.
e. Although debatable, but studies across the countries have shown that
organically grown food has more nutritional value than those obtained
by chemical farming thus providing us with healthy foods.
f. Has increased productivity.
5. Indian scenario -
a. The number of organic farmers are growing. Area under organic
certification has increased from 42,000 ha in 2003 to 4.4 million ha
in 2010.
b. But if we compare with others and India's potential then it is only
a small industry due to various challenges
6. Challenges -
a. Low awareness among the people.
b. Apprehensions among farmers to shift to a new method are that the
yields from organic farming are less than modern agricultural farming.

www.iasscore.in
8
Notes
c. Inadequate infrastructure and marketing problem
d. Vested interests i.e. lobbying by all promoters of chemical fertilizers
7. Case studies of india
a. Sikkim : In nov 2012, 40 p.c. of Sikkim was under organic cultivation
and it is aiming for to cover the entire Sikkim by organic farming.
b. In Feb 2013, Rakesh Kumar of Nalanda district set a new world
record of potato production by producing 1,088 quintals per hectare.
He relied on organic farming.
C. Union Government launcheed NOWCAST (a weather alert system) and
crop Insurance Web portal
1. NOWCAST weather alert system -
a. It will provide free SMS service alerts on extreme weather conditions (ex-
hailstorm) to over one crore registered farmers on their mobile phones.
b. The free SMS alerts will be sent in Hindi, English and regional languages
as per farmers' requests.
c. It will be issued to the farmers whose mobile phones are already registered
on the government's mKisan portal
d. Under this initiative, the extreme weather data originated from IMD will
be updated on mKisan portal using a web service. Later, from mKisan
portal the warnings regarding extreme weather conditions will be
automatically transmitted by SMS to farmers located at district and block
levels.
2. Insurance Web-Portal
a. It will be used to create awareness and encourage farmers to insure their
crops by taking advantage of existing three schemes.
D. Agriculture extension : steps taken
1. Kisan TV -
a. Budget 2014-15 allocated Rs100 crore to Kisan TV for disseminating
real-time information to farmers regarding new farming techniques,
water conservation, organic farming, etc.
b. This will partly make up for the existing adverse ratio of one extension
worker for every 800 to 1000 farmers and provide farmers a direct
interface with the agricultural experts.
c. It was launched on May 26.
2. IARI, @ Barhi Jharkhand -
a. In june 2015 PM laid the foundation Stone of the Indian Agricultural
Research Institute at Barhi in Jharkhand
E. National Agricultural Market through Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund
1. In July 2015, cabinet approved the scheme for "Promotion of National
Agricultural Market through Agri-Tech Infrastructure Fund (ATIF)"
2. Aim is to Create a unified national market through provision of the
common e-platform.

www.iasscore.in
9
Notes3. How will it work?
a. Under this, 585 regulated markets across the country will be integrated
with the common e-platform within 3 years (2015-16: 250 mandis
in 2015-6, 200 mandis in 2016-17 and 135 in 2017-18).
b. This common e-market platform will be deployed in the selected
585 regulated wholesale markets in States/UTs desirous of joining
the e-platform.
c. For integration with the e-platform, the States/UTs will have to take
3 reforms
i. a single license to be valid across the State,
ii. single point levy of market fee and
iii. provision for electronic auction as a mode for price discovery.
4. Other facts -
a. An amount of Rs. 200 crore has been earmarked for the scheme.
b. The Scheme is applicable on All-India basis.
c. Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) will be the lead
agency for the development of the National e-Market by the Ministry
of Agriculture, and they will select a service provider through open
bidding.
5. It will help to overcome the challenges posed by the present agri-
marketing system namely -
a. Fragmentation of State into multiple market areas each administered
by separate APMC,
b. Multiple levy of mandi fees,
c. Requirement for multiple license for trading in different APMCs,
d. Licensing barriers leading to conditions of monopoly,
e. Poor quality of infrastructure and low use of technology,
f. Information asymmetry, opaque process for price discovery,
g. High level of market charges,
h. Movement controls, etc.
6. Farmers will have improved access to market related information and
better price discovery through a more efficient, transparent and competitive
marketing platform, which gives him access to a greater number of buyers.
Shanta Prasad panel -High Level Committee on
Restructuring of FCI
1. Government set up a High Level Committee (HLC) in August 2014
under the chairmanship of Shanta Kumar to suggest restructuring of FCI.
2. Report was released on 22nd Jan, 2015.
3. Recommendations -

www.iasscore.in
10
Notes• The FCI should hand over all procurement
operations of wheat, paddy, and rice to states that
have created reasonable infrastructure for
procurement.
• Reduce statutory levies including commissions
uniformly to 3-4 % of MSP.
• The Government of India must provide better
price support operations for pulses and oilseeds
• FCI should outsource its stocking operations to
various agencies.
• Covered and plinth (CAP) storage should be
gradually phased out. Replace it with Silo bag
technology and conventional storages
• Need a transparent liquidation policy to liquidate
stocks in OMSS or in export markets. This will
automatically kick-in when FCI is faced with
surplus stocks than buffer norms.
• Give Greater flexibility to FCI to operate in
OMSS and export markets.
• Coverage of population should be brought down
to around 40% from present 67%.
• Cash transfers in PDS should be gradually
introduced.
• Each beneficiary should be given 7 kg of grain
instead of 5 kg under the Act.
• Due to huge leakages in the PDS range (40-50 %),
GOI should defer implementation of the NFSA
in states that
• have not done end to end computerization
• have not put the list of beneficiaries online
for anyone to verify and
• have not set up vigilance committees to
check pilferage from PDS.
• Farmers should be given direct cash subsidy (of
about Rs 7000/ha).
• After doing it, fertilizer sector can be deregulated.
• End to end computerization of the entire food
management system, starting from procurement
from fanners; to stocking movement and finally
distribution through the TPDS.
• creating competition in every segment of the
foodgrain supply chain so that overall costs of
the system are reduced.
W.r.t Procurement
On storage
On Buffer Stocking
Operations and
Liquidation Policy
On PDS and NF5A
related issues
On direct subsidy
to farmers
On end to end
Computerization
Primary focus of FCI

www.iasscore.in
1
Notes
Contents
• Foreign Policy- New Trends
• Soft Power
• Central Asia
• West Asia
• Mongolia and India Relations
• North Korea & India Relations
• Indo-Japan Relations
• Oceania
• USA - Cuba Re-approachment
• Indian Ocean
• Refugee Crisis
• Diplomatic Immunity: Issues related to it
• South Korea & India Relations
• Defence Diplomacy
• Russia - (Decline in Indo-Russia Relations)
• Indo - USA Nuclear Deal
• CLND Act, 2010 - (Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages)
• Pivot To Asia
• New Constitution of Nepal
www.iasscore.in
CURRENT AFFAIRS
International Affairs

www.iasscore.in
3
NotesForeign Policy- New Trends
A. Bringing Religion into Foreign Policy : Importance and Challenges –
1. One of the distinguishing features of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
diplomacy has been his effort to rebuild the long-neglected Buddhist bridge
to the world.
2. Recently Modi addressed “A Global Hindu-Buddhist Initiative on Conflict
Avoidance and Environment Consciousness” in the capital in partnership
with the Tokyo Foundation and the International Buddhist Confederation.
3. From a seeming personal fad of the PM, Buddhism has begun to acquire
an unprecedented weight in India’s Asian policy. In his address to the
parliament of Mongolia in June this year, Modi went beyond the notion
of promoting India’s soft power to highlight the importance of Buddhism
in dealing with the contemporary political challenges before Asia and the
world.
a. For one, he insisted that the spiritual values of Buddhism are deeply
connected to the principles of democracy. “If we follow the ‘right
path’ of the master,” “it will also be natural to walk on the path of
democratic values.” “The convergence of Buddhism and democracy
provides us a path to build an Asia of peace and cooperation, harmony
and equality.”
b. Modi also argued that Buddhism is “a call for each of us, as individuals
and as nations, to assume the universal responsibility to mankind and
our planet”. That Modi was not being quirky in injecting religion into
the messy debate on climate change was confirmed by none other
than Pope Francis, who released the encyclical on climate change a
few days later, insisting on our collective moral responsibility to pass
on a clean planet to the next generations.
c. He is quite in tune with an emerging international trend. Many leading
powers are getting their foreign offices to be more attentive to religious
issues. While many secular states have traditionally seen religion as
a source of international conflict, some are beginning to argue that
it might, under certain conditions, be a force for some good. The
avowedly godless Chinese Communist Party now deploys Buddhism
as a major diplomatic tool to win friends and influence religious
communities across the world. The deeply secular West European
states are acknowledging the resurgence of religion as a major factor
in world politics, especially on their doorstep in the Middle East, and
are finding ways to cope with it. Although the professional US
diplomatic corps has no religious bias, America’s political leaders
have long seen the nation as the “chosen one” and its foreign policy
as “god’s work”. More recently, Washington has begun to strengthen
the institutional capacity of the United States government to deal
with matters of faith. The US Department of State now has an
Office of Religion and Global Affairs that advises the secretary of
state on policy issues relating to faith and helps the US government
agencies engage religious communities around the world.
4. In Delhi, there is bound to be some unease at Modi’s attempt to bring
religion into the conduct of Indian foreign policy.

www.iasscore.in
4
Notesa. After all, independent India has consciously kept its diplomacy apart
from religion all these decades.
b. Even when India talked of shared culture and deep civilisational
links with its Asian friends, Delhi was quite careful to edit religion
out of it. In being unafraid of bringing faith into foreign policy, Modi
may be treading new ground in India.
5. While Modi must bring Indian foreign policy in line with this trend, he
must also guard against the real dangers of faith-based diplomacy.
a. Delhi must recognise that putting religion into statecraft does not
mean privileging one faith over another. If Buddhism has the potential
to reinforce India’s engagement with many East Asian countries, a
similar outreach on Islam might boost India’s ties with the Muslim
world. As the power of Christian groups rises across the world, Delhi
also has a good reason to engage them.
b. India must also avoid creating any impression that its new interest in
Buddhism is directed against any particular country. Even more
important, Delhi must be acutely conscious of being drawn into
religious quarrels of others or allowing external intervention in its
own multiple contentions on faith.
c. A purposeful engagement with key religious communities around the
world could certainly lend new effectiveness to India’s international
relations, but only when it is handled with great political care and
diplomatic competence.
B. Federalization of Foreign Policy
1. Present scenario – Federalization of foreign policy is happening here
a. From Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s aggressive lobbying
on Sri Lanka, to the multitude of voices on Bangladesh that have
emerged from Assam and Tripura on Bangladesh, to Punjab and
Jammu and Kashmir’s engagements with Pakistan — states are
demanding a direct say in how foreign policy is made and conducted.
b. In June 2015, West Bengal CM accompanied PM on his tour to
Bangladesh. This was a decisive turn in Indian diplomacy as for the
first time, perhaps, the leader of a state — and one ruled by an
opposition party — has been acknowledged to have a place in the
making and execution of foreign policy.
2. Dangers of it – It doesn’t take a lot to see the perils that could lie ahead.
a. CMs have a record of putting chauvinist concerns ahead of strategic
imperatives, something that has increasingly complicated India’s
dealings with Sri Lanka.
b. Then, the interests of states in dealings with foreign countries might
not always converge, which could render decision-making fraught.
c. Issues of national security might, conceivably, conflict with state
interests in trade.
d. And worse, states could blackmail the Centre on foreign policy
decisions, demanding concessions in return for their consent.

www.iasscore.in
5
Notes3. For all these dangers, though, the federalisation of foreign policy is
inevitable, even desirable.
a. Though New Delhi cannot afford to give regional leaders a veto over
the conduct of foreign policy, it has to take on board the fact that
many states now have economic and diasporic relationships across
the world.
b. Foreign missions in New Delhi are devoting growing resources to
cultivating relationships with state-level leaders, recognising that they
— not the Central government — are key to making and delivering
deals.
c. Also the present government is not comfortably placed in Rajya
Sabha, thus it has make ego-assuaging concessions to CMs belonging
to opposition parties.
4. Concluding Remark
a. For India’s foreign policy establishment, learning to listen to regional
leaders will be a new, and sometimes painful, experience. But the
process cannot be deferred.
Soft Power
What is Power and Hard Power?
1. Power is the ability to achieve one’s purposes or goals and at the most
general level, it is the capacity to influence the behaviour of others to get
the outcomes one wants.
2. There are several ways of influencing the behaviour of others. To achieve
the desired outcomes, one can coerce with threats, induce with payments
this has been the traditional concept of power (‘hard power’) in international
politics. This concept of hard power is often associated with the possession
of certain resources like population, territory, natural resources, economic
strength, military force and political stability.
What is Soft Power?
1. A new form of power—‘soft power’— has become increasingly discussed
in the post-Cold War era.
2. The idea of soft power was formally coined by Joseph Nye, a Harvard
political scientist in his book, ‘Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of
American Power’. The term was coined in the context of an aggressive
defence strategy pursued by the US. Nye argued, especially as in the case
of Vietnam where the US military was unable to hold its own, leave alone
winning the hearts and minds of people, for employing non-military methods
to further the US cause. (Now USA has started engaging with Vietnam (in
a bid to counter China’s influence).
3. According to him, soft power is the ability of a country to persuade
others to do what it wants without resorting to force or coercion.
4. How is it different from hard power?
a. Hard and soft power can be regarded as two extremities on a
continuum of power.

www.iasscore.in
6
Notesb. They involve different ideas, interactions and institutions for foreign
policy whether in the areas of security, politics or economics.
c. Ideally, hard power strategies focus on military intervention, coercive
diplomacy, and economic sanctions in order to enforce national
interests resulting in confrontational policies vis-à-vis neighbouring
countries.
d. While soft power strategies stress on common political values,
peaceful means for conflict management, and economic co-operation
in order to achieve common solutions.
5. Source of soft power –Soft power, lies in a country’s attractiveness and
comes from three resources:
a. Its culture (in places where it is attractive to others),
b. Its political values (when it lives up to them at home and abroad),
and
c. Its foreign policies (when they are seen as legitimate and having
moral authority).
6. Power is becoming less fungible, less coercive and less concrete today. Co-
optive behavioural power and soft power resources are not new. However,
recent trends and changes in political issues have made them more
significant.
Importance of Soft Power & Limitations of Hard Power
1. Though slower to yield results, soft power is a less expensive means than
military force or economic inducements to get others to do what we want.
2. Neither possible, nor desirable to achieve the goal of foreign policy using
hard power.
3. Soft powers importance has increased in the context of globalisation and
the growing disquiet over the use of military power for achieving foreign
policy objectives.
4. Though soft power cannot produce results as fast as hard power, its effects
are more long-lasting and it is less expensive than hard power.
5. The importance of soft power is due to its ability to influence others
unintrusively and unconsciously. It is thus an indirect way to get what you
want and hence has been termed the ‘second face of power’.
6. India cannot compete with leaders like USA and China–
a. Not coincidentally, India’s public diplomacy over the last 5 years has
sought to promote its soft power credentials in a battle for influence
with China in Asia and around the world.
b. A concrete example of this new soft power rivalry is visible in
Africa today. Since India cannot match China’s massive financial
investments in Africa, it has been concentrating on soft power
resources such as its information technology capabilities and its
affordable university courses to attract African students.

www.iasscore.in
7
Notesc. At the same time it has promoted its image of the country which
inspired the anti-colonial struggles of the last century and took a
strong principled stand against apartheid to develop future partnerships
in Africa. As a result, by publicising the pluralist nature of its politics
and society, India intends to prove it is a cooperating, stabilising and
exemplary rising power, in contrast to China’s more aggressive, if not
neo-colonial model.
7. Supporting Examples –
a. Reapproachment of USA with Vietnam and Cuba where hard power
failed;
b. Another example is the Unites States’ increased funding and emphasis
to public diplomacy post 9/11 and the Iraq War because its unilateral
use of hard power in Iraq and Afghanistan has led to the growth of
anti-Americanism in many parts of the world and decreased its soft
power significantly.
8. Today’s major powers are not as able to use their traditional power resources
to achieve their purposes as in the past. Private actors and small states
have become more powerful on many issues. At least five trends have
contributed to this diffusion of power: economic interdependence,
transnational actors, rise of nationalism in weak states, the spread of
technology and changing political issues.
9. The importance of soft power in the contemporary world can be seen if
we look at why China pulled out all stops to hold a successful Olympics.
The success of the Beijing Olympics has helped increase China’s soft
power around the world with the associated benefits.
‘SOURCES’ of India’s Soft Power – India’s Soft Power Potential
India has always been a country with tremendous ‘soft power’—as can be seen
from the fact that unlike the rise of China, its ‘rise’ is not being viewed with
trepidation and alarm in many countries. The various sources of soft power
Culture 1. Culture is the most important source of soft power. India
is at a very advantageous position as far as culture is
concerned and has historically enjoyed much soft power.
2. Alternative to western values -
a. Indian culture (based on spiritualism) offers one of
the most dynamic alternatives to Western cultural
values (i.e. materialism).
b. India's spirituality is much needed in these days of
conflict and strife. India's tolerance for different
religions and cultures is legendary. This is the land
which has preached 'Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam' (the
world is my family) and Loka Samastha Sukhino
Bhavanthu (let there be peace in the whole world)
after all. India's message of secularism which actually
means different religions co-existing in harmony with
each other, rather than the Western concept of

www.iasscore.in
8
Notesseparation of religion and the State is a valuable lesson
in these days when there is so much strife in the name
of religion.
3. Long civilizational links -
a. India has had a long history of civilizational and cultural
links with countries as far-flung as Iran, Rome and
South East Asia. Its riches and splendour have attracted
traders and travellers for thousands of years.
b. Countries in Southeast Asia still have remnants of
Indian traditions: the Angor Vat temple in Cambodia,
temples and pagodas in Thailand, Myanmar as well as
the presence of several Sanskrit words in languages
like Bahasha Indonesia prove the influence of Indian
culture on these countries. India, as the land where
the Buddha preached, has positive connotations for
Buddhists all over the world.
c. Buddhism spread from India to China and other
countries through Buddhist monks and scholars came
to India to study at its universities leading to a healthy
exchange of ideas right from ancient times the
influence of which is apparent throughout Asia even
today.
d. Islamic preachers from India are believed to have
spread the religious and cultural values of Islam in
Singapore and Malaysia.
4. Non Violence -
a. Also, as one of the few places in the world where
Jews were welcomed and not persecuted, India enjoys
much soft power in Israel.
5. Indian Diaspora -
a. India's diaspora is a huge soft power asset. There are
millions of Indian diaspora spread across countries.
b. This diaspora (comprising of blue color labor as well
as white collar professional elite to political elites) have
contributed immensely to the countries they have
settled in and command influence and respect in these
countries.
c. In fact, the Indo-American community in the US has
been found to be the most educated immigrant
community in the US. The recent upturn in Indo-US
relations has a lot to do with the lobbying, influence
and reputation of the Indo-American community.
6. Yoga -
a. One of India's most successful and enduring imports-
yoga-is practised all over the world both as a form of
exercise and as a stress-buster by millions of people.

www.iasscore.in
9
NotesYoga is already a global phenomenon and is rapidly
becoming part of mainstream culture, particularly in
the West.
7. Cuisine -
a. Indian cuisine with its subtle use of spices and herbs
grown across the Indian subcontinent is also becoming
popular in the West, particularly in the United
Kingdom (UK) which is home to a large Indian
diaspora. Indian food has also gained popularity in
other Western countries and there are many Indian
restaurants in the larger cities of the US and Canada.
8. Music and Movies
a. Elements of popular Indian culture like music and
movies have a wide following in many countries. The
power of music can bridge borders and bring people
closer.
b. Indian music and movies have a large international
market and have become increasingly popular abroad,
particularly in Asia, Europe, Africa and West Asia.
c. Even in countries like Russia, Syria and Senegal,
Indian films, particularly Hindi Bollywood, which is
the most important movie industry after Hollywood)
movies, have a following. Indian movies are popular
and watched not only in South Asian countries like
Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri
Lanka due to their close proximity with India and due
to certain similar cultural outlooks present in the
movies but also in Europe, Africa and the Middle
East. Wax statues of several actors from the Indian
film industry at Madame Tussaud's in London bear
testimony to the influence of Indian cinema and India's
soft power.
d. When Indian movies are screened at International Film
Festivals like Cannes, then our soft power is built.
9. The success of Indian companies like Infosys Technologies
and Wipro Technologies in the Information Technology
(IT) sector; success of other multinational companies like
the Tata Group and Reliance Group; and the worldwide
recognition of the academic excellence of the Indian
Institute of Management (IIMs) and Indian Institute of
Technology (IITs)-the centres of excellence for higher
training, research and development in science, engineering
and technology in India-have contributed to the new image
of India as a country with English educated, enterprising
people. In the US, for example, the stereotypical Indian is
no longer a starving peasant, but a highly professional IT
specialist.

www.iasscore.in
10
Notes1. Democracy
a. India is the world's largest democracy. India has never
had a military dictatorship.
b. India has had free and fair elections since
independence.
c. India's democracy has allowed traditionally
marginalized sections of society like Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women to participate in
governance.
d. In fact, Bhutan's and Nepal's recent shift towards
democracy was encouraged by its neighbor India's
example of a thriving democracy.
e. Free Media - The presence of a free press in which all
shades of opinion are allowed to be expressed also
contributes to India's soft power.
f. Civil society - India has a thriving civil society which
has never shied away from trying to solve social ills.
g. Judiciary -unlike most Asian countries, also has a
fiercely independent judiciary which has often played
an activist role in taking up many issues important to
the public, but neglected by the government.
h. As the world's largest democracy, with a vibrant free
press, India has important soft power advantages over
the other rising power in the region, China. Because
of India's democratic experience, its rise (unlike China)
has been perceived as complementing rather than
challenging the existing Asian and international orders.
2. Nuclear -
a. The U.S., with its Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, accorded
India special treatment in nuclear cooperation. The
deal provided benefits usually reserved for Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatories. Washington
justified cooperation with India by highlighting Delhi's
impeccable non-proliferation record. This stance was
replicated by other states, including the Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG) member states who allowed
India's participation in international nuclear commerce
and supported the Indo-U.S. deal. Today, India is the
only known nuclear weapons state that is not part of
the NPT but is still permitted to engage in nuclear
commerce globally.
b. Despite having tested weapons in 1974 and 1998 and
being a non-signatory to the NPT and Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty, India has been one of the most vocal
advocates for global disarmament. It has arguably been
the most passionate anti-nuclear campaigner amongst
the world's nine known or suspected nuclear weapons
Political Values

www.iasscore.in
11
Notesstates, with one of the world's most notable pleas for
global disarmament made by Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi at the U.N. in 1988. Delhi sought to avoid
labels of hypocrisy by positioning itself as the
"reluctant nuclear power."
1. Joseph Nye says that a country's foreign policy can increase
its soft power if its foreign policy is perceived by other
countries and people to be 'legitimate, non-aversial and having
moral authority'.
2. India's foreign policy has been based on moral values from
the time of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who remains
a tremendous influence on Indian foreign policy even today.
3. Moreover, even before independence, leaders of the Indian
National Congress supported the freedom struggles of people
under colonial rule in Asia and Africa. This support, both
political and material, continued even after independence.
4. India also strongly decried Apartheid and racial
discrimination at international fora.
5. Its refusal to join either bloc during the Cold War and sending
a medical contingent rather than armed combatants to the
United Nations (UN) force in Korea in 1950 also enhanced
its standing in the world community, particularly the
countries of the Third World.
6. His is proved by India's getting the chairmanship of the
Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission (NNRC) set up
in 1953 after the Korean War and India's mediatory role in
bringing about the Indo-China Peace Agreement after the
French were defeated by the Vietnamese.
7. Nehru commanded respect in the newly-independent
countries of the world as leader of the Non Aligned
Movement (NAM). Nehru was determined to "forge a world
order that eschewed, or at least hobbled, the use of force
in international politics".29 India even supported China's
claim for a permanent seat on the United Nations (UN)
Security Council. Thus, till the 1962 Sino-Indian war at
least, India's soft power especially among Third World
countries was tremendous and India was the rallying point
for many of these countries.
8. Non-aggression - Despite possessing one of the world's
largest armies and its location in a hostile and troubled
neighbourhood, India has not threaten another country; we
have not launched a war. The five wars that it has been
engaged in have been in reaction to aggression from Pakistan
and China.
9. Unlike the US, it has never sought to perpetuate its
hegemony, either in the neighbourhood or elsewhere in the
world.
10. India don't interfere in other’s internal matters.
Foreign
Policies

www.iasscore.in
12
Notes11. Instead we help them to restructure e.g. in Sri lanka and
Afghanistan. We see Indian personnel working closely in
the rehab of war-torn countries such as Afghanistan and
Iraq to rebuild or create new infrastructure-often at
considerable personal risk to themselves.
12. As compared to china's economic penetration which is seen
as a threat to the local economy, India's investment is
welcomed and is seen as beneficial
13. After the 1990s, India has tried to play down its 'big brother'
image in South Asia by taking initiatives to resolve disputes
with its neighbours and scrupulously avoiding interference
in the internal affairs of its neighbours. One example of
this is the 'Gujral doctrine' which introduced the principle
of non-reciprocity, emphasising that India not only had a
bigger responsibility, but should give more to the smaller
neighbours than she would receive.
14. With globalization and liberalization of the economy, as
countries became more interdependent, any country could
not afford to antagonise other countries by stressing on its
hard power capabilities.
15. India's participation in UN peacekeeping operations can be
interpreted as an attempt to increase its soft power in
countries around the world.
16. Even the Indian Army has also attempted to use soft power
in militancy-affected states like Jammu & Kashmir to win
the 'hearts and minds' of people in places where there is
insurgency. 'Operation Sadhbhavana' in Jammu and Kashmir
and other operations in which the Indian army has built
infrastructure, refugee camps and given medical aid to people
in militancy-infested regions are good examples for this.
17. The best example of India's successful use of soft power
can be seen in its relations with Afghanistan helping it steal
a march over its traditional rival, Pakistan in the hearts of
the common Afghans. Since the fall of the Taliban, India
has focussed on the reconstruction of Afghanistan through
aid for building infrastructure like dams and roads and
providing scholarships for Afghan students. Indian television
operas and Hindi movies have become the primary source
of entertainment for Afghans, particularly those in cities
and towns.
18. Our neighbors do not see India as a threat in the way that
many of Russia or China's neighbors view those powers.
19. When it came to humanitarian intervention, over the last
25 years India's opposition or support was directly related
to the level of intrastate violence entailed in intervening.
This was true regardless of who was intervening in whom,
for what reason, and whether there were strategic gains in
it for Delhi. This included interventions in Iraq, Libya and
Syria. India's opposition to intervention was compounded
by its pluralistic worldview, with acceptance of all regime
types.

www.iasscore.in
13
NotesSteps Taken to Realize this Potential
1. It is only over the past decade or so that India has begun to play its soft
power cards more systematically.
2. Besides setting up a public diplomacy division within the Ministry of
External Affairs in 2006 and expanding the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR) worldwide, it has roped in the Ministry of Tourism,
which is behind the “Incredible India” campaign, and the Ministry for
Overseas Indians “to showcase its social, political, and cultural assets
abroad,”
3. These government actors are working to leverage India’s soft power “by
using it to support larger foreign policy initiatives such as the Look East
Policy (now Act East), the Connect Central Asia policy, and developing
strategic aid and trade partnerships in Africa,” he said, adding that in each
of these initiatives, “official diplomacy has been buttressed by cultural
exchange and efforts at increasing public knowledge and appreciation of
India in foreign countries.”
4. Opening learning of Sanskrit institutes.
5. India’s continued soft power in the Asia–Pacific can be seen in the proposal
by India to revive the once world famous Nalanda University in partnership
with China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. This initiative is an example
of the convergence of the soft power agendas of five different countries.
6. India has Creating a Public Diplomacy Division in India’s Ministry of
External Affairs in 2006. This new institution’s main objective has been
to intensify the dialogue on foreign policy issues with all segments of the
society at home and abroad. However, it is a fairly new and small
department and its ability to formulate and implement policies remains
to be seen.
7. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has set up 22 cultural
centres in 19 countries whose activities ranging from film festivals to
book fairs and art exhibitions, aim to present an image of India as a plural
multicultural society.
8. The Indian government has also encouraged the use of Hindi abroad by
organising an annual and rotating World Hindi Conference and by offering
Hindi classes in its different centres.
9. India has also begun to emphasise its democratic process. In 2005, India
joined the UN Democracy Fund and contributed $25 million to it, making
it the second biggest donor after the US ($38 million). India’s activities
mainly include electoral assistance and programs to strengthen the rule of
law and to fight corruption.
10. In Afghanistan, India has deliberately refused to send any military mission
and instead pursued a soft power strategy to gain Afghan goodwill by
delivering $1.3 billion in economic and logistical assistance. Since 2001,
India has concentrated on the reconstruction of Afghanistan through aid
for building infrastructure like dams and roads and providing scholarships
for Afghan students. Ordinary Afghans seem to have appreciated India’s
‘soft’ involvement in their country and majority of them have a favourable
image of India.

www.iasscore.in
14
Notes11. Also write about steps taken at bilateral level in general especially economic
assistance to each country.
12. India has also progressively tried to include its diaspora into its foreign
policy strategies.
Recent Steps Taken by NDA Government
1. Religion
a. Religion especially Buddhism is a key components of Modi’s mission
in shaping the future of the subcontinent and Asia. On the occasion
of Buddha Purnima, Modi said, “Without Buddha, the 21st century
will not be Asia’s century.”
b. During his travels over the last year, Modi has put shared religious
heritage with neighbours at the centre of his regional engagement,
whether it was
i. Offering prayers to Lord Pashupatinath in Kathmandu, Nepal;
ii. Meditating at a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan; or
iii. Visiting the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
In sri lanka he also met the Mahanayakas. Engaging with
Mahanayakas was important as they wield political influence
over the Buddhists in Sri Lanka.
c. Religious tourism infra – Modi has talked about the possibilities of
restoring historic Buddhist sites in the subcontinent and promoting
tourism by integrating them across borders through modern
transportation facilities.
• During budget 2015, 100 crore provided for National Mission
on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and SpiritualAugmentation Drive
(PRASAD). It was also announced that Sarnath-Gaya-Varanasi
Buddhist circuit to be developed with world class tourist
amenities to attract tourists from all over the world.
d. In march 2015, An Indian government-supported NGO organised a
rare dialogue on vinaya between high-ranking monks of the Theravada
tradition in Sri Lanka and the Nalanda tradition in New Delhi in
march 2015 — a dialogue at this level between the two traditions
was last held in the 7th century AD.
• Besides Sri Lanka, Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religion
in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, while the Nalanda tradition
has a Himalayan perspective, which includes Nepal and Bhutan.
By reaffirming India’s historical leadership of the Buddhist world
and projecting its Buddhist links in the region, Delhi is evidently
trying to counter efforts by China to extend its sphere of
influence.
e. As governor of Fujian province, President Xi Jinping had actively
played the Buddhist card and Beijing continues to further its agenda
through the world fellowship of Buddhists. Of course, Chinese claims
of promoting Buddhism are ironic because Beijing represses the
religion in the country, violently so in Tibet which India should
highlight.

www.iasscore.in
15
Notes2. Yoga
a. On June 21, the world will observe International Day of Yoga for the
first time ever. A United Nations resolution to this effect that India
moved in the General Assembly last year was co-sponsored by
an unprecedented 170 countries. It “reflected yoga’s immense
popularity worldwide, underscoring its richness as a soft power
resource.”
b. Yoga is among the themes that figured during the recent visit of
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to China, Mongolia, and South
Korea.
3. Nepal earthquake – Humanitarian aid extended to the people affected by
the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal (and those impacted by previous
calamities in South Asia).
4. Social Media –
a. On his visit to China he leveraged social media to reach out to
ordinary Chinese citizens by debuting on Sina Weibo, China’s
adaptation of Twitter. In couple of days his account recorded 11
million hits. (Kevin Rudd, former Australian Prime Minister and
British Prime Minister David Cameron are also on it).
5. Bollywood
a. On his visit to China he leveraged bollywood to reach out to ordinary
Chinese citizens. Bollywood movie PK was also released in china
which grossed 100 crore there (earlier 3 Idiots was released which
was also very popular).
b. The Indian and the Chinese film industries are also coming together
in celebration of the Hein Tsang’s (Xuan Zang’s) China-India connect.
An MoU was signed between Eros group and China Film Group
who will collaborate for the making of the film on him. Already a
movie titled “Kung Fu Yoga” featuring Hollywood star Jackie Chan
is being made under the joint production.
6. Steps taken by Modi to pay homage to world war veterans to tell the
world that they stood with them in those difficult days.
Challenges –(What Erode’s our Soft Power, Neglected Areas)
• In practice, India’s soft power remains weak for two primary reasons:
a. First, Indian diplomacy has neglected soft power as an important
tool of statecraft and has only recently understood the relevance of
‘cultural diplomacy’. Goodwill for India abroad has largely been
generated in an unplanned manner.
b. Second, soft power cannot really exist without some initial hard
power achievements. A country will only be able to realistically tell
a ‘better story’ if it has material power to build its soft power on.
• Foreign Policy
a. Myanmar operation and above all chest-thumping. But recent
incidents like chest-thumping after the Myanmar incident can send
a wrong signal. Do it but don’t shout.
b. Supporting terrorism to counter – terrorism – this gives credence to
Pakistan claim that india is a hypocrite country.

www.iasscore.in
16
Notesc. Big brother attitude to neighbours who are using the chinese card.
d. Need to give more aid and thus in this aspect were not able compete
with china which is giving aid in billions.
• Programs of ghar wapsi and failing to take steps to prevent minorities
persecution send a wrong signal to whole world esecially the Muslim
world.
• Human rights violations by instruments of the State like the Police and
the Army reflect badly on a country which has a very liberal Constitution,
thus eroding its soft power. The use of torture to extract confessions and
continued use of the capital punishment (though used very rarely) when
most countries have abolished these practices also affect the country’s soft
power negatively.
• India’s dismal ranking in UN Human Development Report for 2009 which
seriously affects India’s soft power bringing back the earlier images of the
1950s of an overpopulated, poor country with underfed people. Economic
reforms have led to high growth rate.
• Unresolved disputes with its immediate neighbours also affect India’s soft
power potential. India needs to resolve these disputes reasonably if it
wants to be seen as a global power deserving a seat on the UN Security
Council.
• The lack of success in sports and a non-existent sporting culture are also
impediments in the growth of India’s soft power. No other aspect of
culture has the capacity to bring together powerful tool for international
engagement as sports does. For instance, China, having held an extremely
successful Olympics and having topped the medals tally, has gained new-
found respect from countries across the world.
Way Forward
• Learn from the Beijing Model
a. As China raced to become one of the leading economies, cultural
diplomacy became an important complement to Beijing’s “go out”
strategy.
b. Over the last decade, Xinhua, once the classic example of a “staid
socialist news agency”, acquired global reach and influence.
c. China’s state-owned CCTV network launched international TV
channels in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. Beijing
has also set up nearly 500 Confucius Centres to teach Mandarin and
present Chinese culture to international audiences.
d. But Delhi should learn to stay out of the business of “promoting”
it. Much like propaganda, which works best when it’s not seen as
such, soft power strategies are most effective when they are subtle
and indirect.
• Soft power can be increased by augmenting funding for cultural activities
in embassies, promoting India aggressively and starting India study centres
all over the world on the lines of British Council, American Information
Resource Centers, Alliance Francoise and the Confucius Institutes started
by China. These institutes increase their respective countries’ soft power
by projecting a favourable image of their countries to the outside world
through public relations exercises.

www.iasscore.in
17
Notes• The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) should give more emphasis to public
diplomacy and more initiatives like friendship years with different countries
should be started. More funding should be given for public diplomacy.
• India should also hold more cultural festivals abroad showcasing different
aspects of its culture.
• The doors of Indian universities should be opened to foreign students
through scholarships and student exchange programmes so that they
understand Indian culture, interests and values by the time they go home
and propagate a favourable image about India.
• For this, more funds should be allotted to the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR).
• Tourists must be welcomed to India so that more people see the beauty
and varied culture of India. Indian tourists abroad also convey the image
of a new, rich and confident India. They must also be advised to be polite
and to respect the traditions of the countries they visit.
• There should be more focus on sports infrastructure development in schools
so that the world gets to know India as a sporting nation.
• The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas initiative by the Indian government is a
laudable attempt to tap into the economic and political resources of the
Indian diaspora all over the world. But India needs to do more so that the
diaspora feels welcome and wanted by India.
• India needs to ensure that the benefits of democracy and economic reforms
reach the needy. This would help bring those fighting the Indian State into
the mainstream. It has certainly taken some steps towards this by
encouraging those fighting against it in Kashmir and the North East to
engage in the political process. This effort seems to be working and must
be encouraged.
Concluding Remark
12. India, at various points in its history, has used both hard power and soft
power. However, a reliance on one or the other exclusively would not help
in achieving foreign policy objectives. Soft power cannot be used in all
situations just as hard power cannot be used in all circumstances. But if
used effectively in conjugation with hard power, it can yield better results
than if only hard power is used. This use of a judicious combination of
soft and hard power has been termed as ‘smart power’ by some scholars
like Suzanne Nossel. India has a lot of potential for this ‘smart power’,
blessed as it is with abundant soft power as well as hard power.
Central Asia
A. SCOs Expansion
1. Founded originally as Shanghai 5 in 1996 by 5 nations. Then Uzbekistan
was included in 2001 and thereafter it became SCO. In 2015, it was
decided to include India and Pakistan as new members.
2. Its members are China, Russia, central asian countries except Turkmenistan,
India and Pakistan.
3. Functions:

www.iasscore.in
18
Notesa. Its core aim is security cooperation. i.e. It’s a security block. It is
sometimes also tagged as Asia’s NATO.
b. Energy and water resources have emerged as focal areas of
cooperation.
c. Cultural cooperation - E.g. people to people contact, festivals, shows
etc.
4. Reasons for including new members –
a. Each of the six original members, though, have varying geostrategic
reasons for wanting India on board — a sign of how complex the
challenges of shaping the new Asia are.
b. The four Central Asian states — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
and Uzbekistan — want a counterweight to the dominance of Russia
and China.
c. Moscow wants a counterweight to China’s growing power in its Central
Asian backyard and a new partner to show its adversaries in Europe
and the US that it is not without friends.
d. For its part, China sees expansion as a step towards giving the
organisation heft — especially since its ally, Pakistan, is also joining
up.
e. The SCO has been cast as the institutional heart of a new Asian
order — an emerging counterweight to a world with US and European
power at its core. That billing hasn’t been matched by anything the
SCO has actually done since it was founded in 2001, but there’s little
doubt that full membership will give New Delhi a real say in shaping
Asia’s geostrategic powers.
f. Four of the eight nations which have tested nuclear weapons, an
index of military power, will be part of the new alliance once India
and Pakistan are on board next year; so, too, will three of the world’s
major economies, along with territories that house some of the world’s
largest hydrocarbon reserves.
5. Importance of SCO membership to India –
a. India’s membership of the SCO is significant. To begin with, it opens
up trade, energy and transit routes between Russia and China that
pass through Central Asia, that were hitherto closed to India.
b. Iran’s observer status will ensure the SCO serves as a platform for
India to discuss trade through the Iranian ports of Bandar Abbas and
Chabahar, and link them to the Russian proposal for a North-South
Transport Corridor. This circumvents India’s situation of being
hemmed in owing to lack of access to markets through Pakistan.
c. While the SCO charter disallows bilateral issues being taken up, the
security grouping provides a platform for India and Pakistan to discuss
them, as it will be when Mr. Modi and Mr. Sharif meet.
d. With Russia and China taking the lead, the SCO could even prove
a guarantor for projects such as the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-
Pakistan-India) and IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) pipelines that India has
held off on security concerns.

www.iasscore.in
19
Notese. The SCO summit will provide a valuable interface to engage with
Afghanistan’s neighbours at a time when so much is changing in its
security outlook, between the international troop pullout and talks
with the Taliban.
f. Finally, the SCO is an important counter-balance to India’s perceived
tilt towards the U.S. and its allies on security issues. In a politically
polarised world, with the U.S. and Europe pitted against Russia and
China and where all the powers are economically interlinked, India’s
best hope to emerge a leader lies in its ability to bridge the two.
6. Way Forward –
a. For New Delhi, the challenge will be to ensure the two great powers
already at the table do not undermine its own interests.
b. In 2005, for example, the SCO called for a timetable for the US to
shut down bases in Central Asia — bases that India, however, saw as
important elements in stabilising Afghanistan.
c. New Delhi, moreover, is seeking an enhanced partnership with East
Asian states like Japan, which view China with suspicion. New Delhi
has now gained entry to the halls where the Great Game is being
played — but must beware that it does not gamble more than it can
afford to lose.
B. PM’s Visit to Central Asia
1. In July 2015, PM Modi visited the 5 Central Asian countries.
2. Main highlights of the visit –
a. The prime minister’s visit had a strong cultural connotation though
the past links with Central Asia have not yet given the desired results.
Importantly, he touched upon the shared Islamic heritage and Sufi
traditions. Modi gifted a reproduction of Khamsa-i-Khusrau to Islam
Karimov. Hopefully, the Uzbek dictator liked the gift. Linguistic links
with the Tajiks were also invoked by Modi. Clearly, the visit entailed
a strong joint socio-cultural rhetoric – references to Yoga, Hindi, Sufism,
IT, among others, added substance to India’s soft power.
b. Nazarbayev’s daring decision to sign a major contract for a renewed
long term supply of 5,000 Metric tonnes (MT) of uranium to India
during the next five years is the most significant takeaway of the
Prime Minister’s visit. This is in fact proving more promising than
achievements on the hydrocarbons side.
c. Then India’s ONGC-Videsh Ltd (OVL) has finally made its first
breakthrough when Modi launched the drilling operations for oil
exploration in the Satpayev block on 7 July, 2015.
d. The Ufa Summit and Modi’s visit to Turkmenistan may also have
possibly shown the way finally even for the TAPI pipeline to see the
light of day. In Ashgabat, the Prime Minister called the TAPI project
a “key pillar” and pushed for its realization “quickly”.
e. Combating terrorism, cementing defence, economic and energy ties
and enhancing connectivity were recurring themes in the Prime
Minister’s discussions with the leaders of these countries. In all, the
21 bilateral agreements signed with the five countries were desirable.

www.iasscore.in
20
Notesf. Inking of a MoU for co-operation between the Indian and Kyrgyz
Election Commissions is significant, though the Kyrgyz have been
looking to Western countries for democratic experience.
g. The contract with Uzbekistan for the supply of 2,000 metric tonnes
of uranium signed in 2014 is important, but it needs to be seen how
it gets implemented finally.
3. Significance –
• Of course, there were no big ticket items to turn the spotlight, but the
Prime Minister’s own strong presence seems to have created a huge
excitement. Modi has become a factor in Central Asia and this is
important. In fact, it has been decades since any popular Indian leader
visited these countries and they felt nice about it. Such a visit was
long desired; as one friend of this author put it, we needed such a
thing because Indian leaders have always appealed to everyone in
Central Asia.
4. Challenges –
a. India has already missed the bus and it has a lot of catching up to do.
b. India faces financial limitations when it comes to competing with
other powers in Central Asia. Indian investment is dismal and the
current engagement policy does not have vitality for spurring economic
interdependence with these countries.
c. Connectivity : The connectivity issue, i.e., the International North
South Transport Corridor (INSTC), has been discussed since 2000.
Crores have been spent on Bandar Abbas and now on the Chabahar
Port option. But accessing Central Asia via the Indian Ocean is a
flawed approach that has proved unviable and has not worked so far.
During the visit, Modi mooted the idea of bypassing Afghanistan to
link with Central Asia through surface, digital and air connectivity.
Many wonder whether his visit was linked to India’s growing
disenchantment with Afghanistan’s increasing closeness with Pakistan.
d. Apart from geography, a lack of understanding and scholarship is
another handicap. India does not have the depth of knowledge on the
region’s historical, political, linguistic, and above all the intricate socio-
tribal structural underpinnings, for instance, the function and
relationship among Kazakh zhus (hordes) that ultimately regulate the
decision making process. As a result, the official and diplomatic
channels often used do not necessarily yield the desired results. This
style of approach over a period of time has led to a distortion in
overall relations –the reason why the depth of India-Central Asia ties
have always remained in question.
e. Central Asians had high expectations from New Delhi from the
beginning, but India lacked sufficient efforts and skill to understand
the importance of Silk Route dynamics as compared to the focused
attention paid by China and others. China’s trade with the region is
over USD 50 billion compared to India’s paltry USD 1.4 billion.
China is transporting energy from the region.
f. The flurry of agreements on defence and security are largely symbolic
and they have been there for quite some time though without much

www.iasscore.in
21
Notessignificance. Take the case of Ayni airbase in Tajikistan that India
acquired post-Kargil and IC-814 hijacking. India refurbished the base
at a cost of USD 70 million in 2007, yet we do not know whether
it is really using the base. Defence co-operation with Kyrgyzstan has
been going on for a few years but with little benefits to India.
Kyrgyzstan has far closer military ties with China.
g. Combating terrorism especially the threat posed by the Islamic State
gained prominence, suggesting that it is a “threat without borders”.
But Central Asia, despite being located in the proximity of the main
source of terrorism, is not a hotbed of terrorism. There are no records
of the Taliban and Al Qaeda having set gained a footing in the region.
h. Russia is and will remain an important factor for India’s ability to do
business in Central Asia. The countries of the region are still integrated
with Russia. They do not have complete freedom of manoeuvre to
conduct foreign relations without having a concord with Russia. Russia
still favours India as a countervailing measure against China’s
monopoly on Kazakhstan’s uranium exports. As long as India’s fuel
imports remain modest and ties with Kazakhstan do not get deeper,
a major hurdle is unlikely. But, given growing Russia-China
convergence, India’s nuclear ties with Kazakhstan will be conditioned
by changes in the geopolitical climate just as geopolitics decisively
undermine the import of hydrocarbons from Central Asia.
i. Central Asians undeniably consider India to be a reliable, trustworthy
and predictable partner. But at the same time they do not consider
India to be a good performer. Many have argued that New Delhi’s
indecisiveness always influenced Nazarbayev against energy deals
with India. Even though Kazakhs realize the importance of engaging
India, they also know well that it is only China that can fit the bill
ultimately.
5. Way Forward
a. Hopefully, the SCO can provide India with the opportunity of working
together with Russia and the Central Asian republics. It could help
resolve at least some problems.
b. India should find other innovative ways such as joining international
energy consortiums for exploration, opting for LNG purchases from
the region, etc. Central Asia could become another Middle East for
Indian engineers, management experts, and skilled and semi-skilled
workers to find employment. They could earn huge amounts of foreign
exchange from the region’s energy service sector. Indian companies
could participate in the ancillary and drilling sectors of the oil and gas
industry, which is rapidly growing in the Caspian region.
c. We can conclude by saying that Prime Minister Modi’s visit has
provided a momentum which needs to be sustained. For this connect
central Asia policy, 2012 needs to be taken up seriously.
C. Connect Central Asia Policy, 2012
1. India has come up with a “Connect Central Asia policy”, 2012 which was
declared in 2012.
2. It includes elements such as:

www.iasscore.in
22
Notesa. High level visits,
b. Comprehensive economic engagement,
c. Partnership in the development of energy and natural resources, (i.e.
energy),
d. Strategic partnerships, (i.e. security related aspect),
e. Development of potential in medical field, education, e-networks,
(i.e. soft power),
f. Ensuring land connectivity, etc.
3. The implementation of the policy needs to be speeded up and for this do
the following –
a. Firstly, this will require allocation of definite resources for the
implementation of the policy.
b. Secondly, there must be an institutional mechanism for
implementation.
West Asia
A. Sectarian Divide (Sunni – Shia Conflict)
1. Meaning of Sunni and Shia
a. After the death of Prophet Muhammad, there was debate among
the Muslims on who will take over the leadership of the Muslim
nation.
b. One group believed that new leader should be elected on the basis
of his capability. These are Sunni (This is what was done, and the
Prophet Muhammad’s close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, became
the first Caliph of the Islamic nation).
c. Other group believed that the next leader should be from the prophets
family. These are Shia. They wanted that leadership should have
passed directly to his cousin & son-in-law, Ali.
2. Now the Shia – Sunni sectarian divide in West Asia
Shia Axis : Iran is the Leader of the group; its
allies are Iraq, (Shia majority), Syria (Sunni
majority, Shia ruler), Bahrain (Shia majority,
Sunni ruler), Hezbollah in Lebanon (a socio-
political-military group), Houthis in Yemen.
Sunni Axis : Except Bahrain The 5 GCC
Countries Are Sunni Dominated i.e. Saudi,
UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman.

www.iasscore.in
23
Notes3. So the two axis (esp. Iran and Saudi) and fighting for the dominance in the
region, GCC countries in present scenario are more anti – Iran then anti–
Israel.
4. Consequences/ Implications:
a. Proxy Wars –
• Has led to regional stability as Saudi and Iran are involved in
proxy wars in Yemen (Houthis), Syria (Bashar-al-asad) and Iraq
where different groups and factions have been supported by
them. during Arab spring (when Iran tried to overthrow
monarchies in sunni countries.
b. IS –
• Has contributed to rise of IS as sunnis in Iraq and Sryia who
were discriminated in Iraq and Syria joined it.
• Due to this divide they haven’t been able to tackle the priority
threat-IS.
c. Oil –
• Instability over there can lead to oil supply shocks.
• Iran has on many occasions threatened to block strait of
Hormouz which is the main channel of oil supply from Gulf
to the outside world.
d. A tough balancing act for India’s foreign policy; proximity with one
side raises eyebrows in other camp; our reluctant attitude towards
Iran was due to Saudi’s pressure.
B. Syrian Civil War
1. Started In 2011.
2. Reasons:
a. It was part of the larger Arab Spring that started in 2011 i.e. protest
against dictatorship and demand of democracy.
• Assad family is ruling Syria since 1970. Present president –
Basher Al-Assad.
b. It acquired a Sectarian conflict. Rulers (Assad family) belongs to
minority Alwaites group (an offshoot of shia islam) whereas 75% of
Syrians are Sunni.
c. This is complicated by :
• Other ethnic conflicts like kurds, Christians, etc.
• Foreign intervention i.e. Iran and Hezzbollah group being Shia
are supporting the Syrian govt, whereas Saudi and other Sunni
groups supporting the rebels.
• Emergence of IS (a sunni group), it originated in Iraq but taking
advantage of chaos entered Syria.

www.iasscore.in
24
Notes3. Present status:
a. The civil war is still going on.
b. Humanitarian loss – as of March 2015, 2-3 lakh killed, 9 million
displaced and thus migrating to Europe; use of chemical weapons
confined by UN.
c. Present map of Syria – which part is under control of whom.
4. Russia’s involvement in civil war –
a. In September, 2015 Russia got involved in Syrian conflict when it
sent its fighter plains to assist Syrian president Basher Al-Assad.
b. Why –
i. To protect its ally president Basher Al-Assad.
ii. To gain strategic influence in West Asia which it has lost to US.
iii. To secure itself against IS.
iv. At present US and NATO forces don’t have a concrete strategy;
failed to tackle it.
c. Implications
i. Needs coordination between Russia and NATO otherwise it
can strain relations further.
ii. It is Russia’s first major military operation outside its
neighborhood since involvement in Afghanistan in 1980s.
C. Operation Rahat
Overview
1. It was an operation of the Indian Armed Forces in April 2015 to
evacuate Indian citizens and other foreign nationals from Yemen during
the 2015 military intervention by Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen.
Red – govt (controls around 40% of
territory)
Grey – IS
Green – rebels
Yellow – kurds

www.iasscore.in
25
Notes2. Details of operation:
a. Saudi had enforced a no-fly zone in Yemeni airspace which made it
difficult to evacuate Indians by air. But India successfully requested
Saudi Arabia to allow foreign nationals to go to Sanaa and Aden.
b. India then created a base in Djibouti. Air India flew passengers from
Aden and sanaa to Djibouti and from there Air Force C-17 transporters
flew evacuees back home.
c. Indian Naval Ships (Mumbai, Tarkash and Sumitra) were also deployed
to flew back the Indians.
d. In this VK Singh (minister of state, external affairs) led from the
front.
3. How many evacuated?
a. Around 4,800 Indian citizens and 2,000 foreign nationals of 48
countries including 12 Americans and 3 Pakistanis.
b. It was not the biggest ever rescue operation : India evacuated 2,280
persons during the 2006 Lebanon War; 15,000 during Libyan crisis
in 2011 and the biggest one was during the Iraq-Kuwait crisis in
1990 when India evacuated 1.7 lakh people.
4. Comment:
a. Our efforts were very professional and appreciated all over the world;
it was the first time Western nations asked for and acknowledged
India’s help in evacuating their citizens.
b. This crisis provided a rare occasion for India and Pakistan to cooperate
(11 Indian’s were rescued by Pakistan and 3 Pakistani’s by India).
c. Government was issuing advisories since January 2015, but still they
stayed there due to economic reasons (lack of jobs in India).
D. Diaspora and Conflict Region
1. Middle East (where around 6 million Indians reside) is prone to conflict
and ensuring the security of Indians there is a recurring challenge.
2. In the recent past, India has done a commendable job in evacuating its
citizens from conflict-hit countries. (1.7 lakh evacuated in Iraq & Kuwait
(1990), 2.300 in lebanon (2006), 15,000 in Libya(2011) and and 6,500 in
yemen(2015)).
3. But its track record in rescuing its citizens from kidnappers has been a
mixed one. While it managed to bring back some 100 nurses who were
held by Islamic State in Iraq a year ago, the fate of 39 other Indians
abducted by militants in June 2014 from Mosul is still unclear. India
cannot afford to leave such cases unresolved.
4. So what should be done:
a. Use past experience to develop permanent institutional capabilities
in this regions to protect Indians abroad.
b. Review the early warning systems to anticipate a crisis quickly, update
citizens through advisories and ensure their early departure.

www.iasscore.in
26
Notesc. Maintain neutrality with West Asian nations so that Indians caught
in conflict are not harmed.
d. Cultivate ties with influential actors in the region, to help solve issues
such as kidnappings.
e. It was seen that many Indians stayed back in Yemen inspite of
advisories being issued way back in January. One reason was job.
But in some situations, the problem is that their employers hold their
passports and wages. For this India together with SAARC nations
should collectively negotiate with Gulf countries for better working
conditions.
E. Houthis (Yemen)
1. Who are Houthis –
a. Houthi is a Shia group; belonging to Zaidi school of thought.
b. The group takes its name from Hussein al-Houthi, who launched an
in 2004 in the background of US invasion of Iraq. At present it is
being led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.
2. Aim – They are not against the present republican system (Yemen is a
republic with a bicameral legislature), rather it’s aim is:
a. Preservation of their religion; ending their persecution (Yemen is a
mix of Shia and Sunni with rulers being sunni who are discriminating
Shias),
b. Ending western influence, and
c. End to corruption, government accountability, Job opportunities for
ordinary Yemenis.
3. To achieve these aims they are fighting since 2004. But the trigger even
was when in 2014 there was disagreement between houthis and president
Hadi over the constitution to be formed. Government wants Yemen to be
a federation but houthis rejected it. They also demanded the removal o
sacking of the corrupt govt. In Sept 2014 they took control over the
capital city Saan’a and in january 2015 occupied the presidents palace
which it controls. President Hadi has been forced to relocate to Aden
which has been declared as provincial capital.
4. Implications – use all points of sectarian conflict:
a. It can end up like Syria, being in a long civil war.
b. Provides another battleground for Saudi-Iran to fight. Iran is supporting
the Houthis rebel; Saudi is backing president Hadi. It launched a
military operation against the Houthi rebels under Operation Decisive
Storm followed by operation restoring hope.
c. Oil – although not a major oil supplier but instability here can threaten
oil supplies as Bab el-Mandab strait between Yemen and Djibouti
(along with Strait of Hormuz) is a major choke points for global oil
supplies.

www.iasscore.in
27
Notesd. Internal security.
i. Has increased stability and has allowed al-Qaeda to gain a
stronghold; Yemen is the HQ of Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula
(AQAP).
ii. Has shifted focus on Iran and Saudi to deal with IS.
iii. Yemen is a member of the IOR-ARC and its cooperation in
dealing with piracy in the Gulf of Aden has been significant.
e. With respect to India – India’s main concern in Yemen was the safety
of more than 5,000 citizens. It was able to evacuate them
under Operation Rahat.
F. UAE
1. Context – PM Modi visited UAE in August.
2. Cooperation:
a. Economic/energy –
i. Trade – UAE is India’s third largest trade partner (after China
and the USA), with bilateral trade standing at over USD 59
billion in 2014-15; have agreed to boost it by 60% in next 5
years during PMs visit.
ii. Investment : During the visit, UAE promised to invest $75
billion in India via UAE-India Infrastructure Investment Fund.
iii. India needs it for energy security and UAE also needs to diversify
market due to slow-down in Europe and discovery of shale gas
in USA; in recent visit UAE agreed to help India develop
strategic petroleum reserves (which is impt due to fear of
disruptions in production and supply).
b. Strategic –
i. During visit, the Relations between the two were elevated to a
comprehensive strategic partnership.
ii. Collaboration on issues like piracy and Terrorism (AQAP HQ
in yemen and IS are a threat to both).
iii. Defense engagement –
• Under defence cooperation agreement, two sides are
cooperating in training, joint exercises, information sharing
etc, but not in equipments.
• In recent join statement, the two sides agreed to cooperate
in joint manufacture of defence equipment in India.
iv. UAE backs India for UNSC seats.
v. It’s a Gateway to Muslim world (OIC, Arab league) who
have a negative image of India due Kashmir problem, Tensions
with Pakistan, India’s image as a Hindu-majority country,
Communal riots.

www.iasscore.in
28
Notesc. Cultural –
i. UAE agreed to allot land for a hindu temple in Abu Dhabi.
ii. 6 million Indian migrant workers are in overall Gulf
(constituting 35% of our Diaspora); Remittances by them are
major source of forex.
d. It lies in our “immediate neighbourhood”, with only the Arabian Sea
separating the two.
3. Challenges:
a. Tough Balancing act for India on two religious axis.
i. Muslim and Jews (Israel) – India’s government is tilted towards
Israel.
ii. Sunni-Shia (Iran) axis – after US-Iran nuclear deal, India’s
relation with Iran will improve.
b. Pakistan continues to portrays India as anti-muslim.
c. Diplomatic –
i. Excessive non – intervention by India. Gulf countries feel that
India has been over-cautious about its involvement in the
political and security affairs of the region.
ii. Modi’s visit was 1st
visit by an Indian PM in last 30 years; last
was in 1981.
iii. Lack of institutional mechanism.
d. Investment is below potential due to problems in India’s investment
climate.
e. Anti-minorities activities by administration; Kashmir issue has the
potential-pakistan has recently again raised the issue at UN.
4. Way forward :
a. Launch an Act West Policy on the lines of Act East Policy.
b. Increase cultural contacts by having cultural exchange, holding inter-
faith dialogues. Establish India Culture Centers throughout the region.
5. Some steps in recent years to boost relations with West Asia:
a. Under the Riyadh declaration signed in 2010 we declared strategic
partnerships with Saudi Arabia in 2010.
b. With Oman strategic partnership declared in Oman in 2008.
c. Agreement on defence and security cooperation with Qatar in 2008.
G. Israel - Palestine
1. In 2015, the relations between the worsened further due to
a. Palestinian’s frustration over Israel’s increasing occupation and Steps
towards statehood at stand-still.
b. Controversy over Al-aaqsa mosque.

www.iasscore.in
29
Notes
c. Re-election of Benjamin netanhayu to power.
2. Due to this in October 2015, there was an increasing demand of 3rd
Intifada (Intifada means Palestinian attempt to shake off Israeli power
and gain independence).
3. Is two state solution possible? The two-state solution calls for “two
states for two peoples” i.e. an independent State of Palestine alongside
the State of Israel. Chances are bleak due to following reasons –
a. Lack of unity among West Bank (governed by Fatahs) and Gaza
Strip (governed by Hamas).
b. By way of peace talks with Israel not possible.
• Israel especially under Benjamin Netanhyu will in no way are
united on the long-term game plan to annex most of the West
Bank and Jerusalem. An independent Palestine will give a base
the radical Islam to attack Israel.
• Also there are no agreements on areas like Boundary (Palestine
wants pre-1967 border; Israel wants 1967 border), water rights,
status of Jerusalem and freedom of access to religious sites.
c. By way of UN –
i. Yes, global opinion is tilting towards it due to genuine grievances
of Palestine (increasing illegal settlement, Attacks, human rights
violation and Socio – economic conditions).
• UN granted Palestine a non-member status, in 2012. In
January 2015, International Criminal Court accepted
Palestine as a member, Parliaments of several European
nations voted to ask their governments to recognise the
state of Palestine.
ii. No, because granting permanent membership of UN to Palestine
can be vetoed by US which enjoys a special relation with US.
This can be seen by the fact that no sanctions has been imposed
by UN on it.
d. By way of Intifada – chances are mix
i. Earlier Intifadas (1987-93 and 2000-5 didn’t yielded result).
ii. Israel will resort to brute force so that will crush their demand
brutally and that can lead to Israel’s further isolation and will
make the case of Palestine more stronger.
Oslo Accords, 1994
1. The accords included the first formal mutual recognition between Israel
and the Palestine Liberation Organization, and specified that bilateral
negotiations were the only viable path to Palestinian statehood.
2. Created the Palestinian Authority as a provisional government.
3. Laid out a five-year timetable for resolving all areas of conflict between
the Palestinians and the Israelis.

www.iasscore.in
30
Notes4. Divided the West Bank into three sections:
a. Area A: The major cities where Palestinians were to have full control.
b. Area B: Where Israel would be in charge of security while Palestinians
handled civilian matters.
c. Area C: Areas to be under full Israeli control.
5. Why are they the cornerstone of ties?
Intifada
1. An Arabic word literally means shake.
2. It refers to a concerted Palestinian attempt to shake off Israeli power and
gain independence.
3. In Oct, 2015 there has been an increasing demand for 3rd
Intifada (earlier
2 intifadas were 1987-93 and 2000-05).
H. India – Israel/Palestine Relations
1. India’s policy on Palestine has slowly changed over time (from solidarity
to non-alignment to closeness with Israel)
2. How can we say that/reasons –
a. Zionist forces in Israel and hindutva forces in India share similar
views on following:
i. Both of the forces are extremely nationalistc & conservative in
their prospective and ideology and
ii. The method of dealing with neighbours and threats, including
terrorism.
b. This can be seen by our voting. In July 2015, India abstained from
a vote against Israel at the UN Human Rights Council over the gaza
strikes in 2014.
c. Kashmir issue – If India votes for independence of Palestine then
world will ask the Indian government to do the same for Kashmir;
it will make case for Kashmir strong.
d. India being a major buyer of Israel’s defence exports.
e. India also needs Israel in Science and technology especially areas of
Drip irrigation and Agriculture.
f. Even Israel is getting isolated in world due to its continuous human
rights violation in Palestine.
3. Challenges for India:
a. Palestine vis-à-vis Israel – even western countries are going in favour
of Palestine, but with NDA government at centre, India is moving
closer to Israel.
b. West asia especially Iran vis-à-vis Israel – we need Iran for
hydrocarbons + it is a regional power but Israel and Iran are not on
good terms.

www.iasscore.in
31
Notes4. Way forward:
a. Such cooperation had existed during the earlier regimes, but India
had consistently sought to maintain its position on the Palestine
issue, which was in line with that of nearly every country in the
world, considering the brazen ways of Israel with respect to Palestine.
b. This does not behold well for India’s stature as a nation committed
to a just international order.
Mongolia and India Relations
• India was the first country outside the socialist bloc to establish diplomatic
relations with Mongolia in 1955. Nehru fought for Mongolia’s status at
the United Nations. But inspite of this relations remained weak.
• The demise of Communism (it’s the 25 the year of its democracy) and
the revival of Buddhism have added a new dimension to Indo-Mongolian
relations. (This point has been mentioned at many places).
• In this background, in May 2015, PM Modi visited Ulaanbaatar (during
his 3 nation tour – other 2 being china and South Korea) to commemorate
the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
• He was India’s first Prime Minister to visit Mongolia.
Importance of Mongolia and India to each other –
Consists of only 3 million people; landlocked between Russia and China.
Inspite of this she is important for:
1. Economic; energy –
a. Has huge reserves of natural uranium and other valuable minerals
for India. During the visit it was decided to cooperate civil nuclear
sector.
b. Need Mongolia for safeguarding its interest in Russia’s resource-rich
trans-Siberia and Far East.
c. A potential destination for Indian investment.
d. During the visit
i. India announced on Sunday a $1-billion credit line to Mongolia
for infrastructure development.
ii. Decided to cooperate in renewable energy.
2. Strategic/geopolitical importance –
a. China is engaging in peripheral diplomacy by upgrading its ties in
Indian subcontinent; new Delhi should reciprocate. Visit to Seoul and
Ulaanbaatar, the 2 democracies is in right direction.
b. Mongolia wants a measure of “strategic autonomy” from its neighbors
Russia and china. China’s deep economic forays is opposed by the
Mongolian public. In this background Mongolia has diversified its
relations under the “third neighbour” policy.

www.iasscore.in
32
Notesc. Defense cooperation has grown:
i. Militaries of the two countries conduct Exercise “Nomadic
Elephant” regularly.
ii. National Security Councils are consulting since 2006 on issues
such as cyber security.
iii. India’s Border Security Force (BSF) is helping Mongolia’s General
Authority of Border Protection (GABP) to manage its vast
border with China.
iv. During the visit, ties were upgraded to “strategic partnership”
and Agreed to cooperate in surveillance, air services, cyber
security.
d. During his visit, PM announced that the 2 shades will work for stability
in the Asia Pacific region (he said this amid China’s push for increasing
its regional influence).
e. Strategically, Indian and Mongolian interests in China and Central
Asia coincide.
3. Spiritual Neighbor:
a. Buddhism travelled to Mongolia from India and is the dominant
religious faith over the last two millennia.
b. Thus the two sides are also spiritual neighbor.
c. Buddhism is a key part of Modi’s cultural diplomacy and thus travelled
to restore religious ties.
d) Challenges – There are Limits to any Indian Powerplay in Mongolia.
1. Demography – Its population is only three million (inspite of being half
of India’s territorial size).
2. Geography – Land locked; its difficult to and costly to transport Mongolia’s
mineral resources to India. Should work on completing the north-south
corridor.
3. With just two neighbors Ulaanbaatar has no interest in provoking either
Russia or China by undertaking activities hostile to them.
4. Its difficult to match China’s economic presence in Mongolia. In 2000,
Mongolia’s trade with china was USD 300 million in 2000. India’s trade is
merely USD 25 million.
5. Has been ignored till now; momentum needs to be sustained.
North Korea & India Relations
1. Relations between the two in the past have remained cold. No ministerial
contact. Relations confined to food aid to North Korea.
2. Due to following reasons:
a. Pakistan – with whom North Korea has close relations; it also helped
Pakistan in nuclear reactor development.
b. South-Korea – North Korea and South Korea are enemy nations and
we are close to South Korea.

www.iasscore.in
33
Notesc. Its nuclear program which is opposed globally; US has imposed an
economic blockade.
3. But now we are taking steps for improving the relations
a. Sitaram Yechury, who in July, 2013, led a three-member parliamentary
delegation to Pyongyang.
b. In April, 2014 North Korea send his Foreign Minister to India.
c. In Sept, 2105, India sent Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju to
participate in an event marking the North Korean national
Independence Day to North Korean embassy.
4. Reasons:
a. North Koreas willingness to expand ties as it is facing isolation.
b. Indian side reason
i. Part of peripheral diplomacy.
ii. North Korea is estimated to have one of the largest global
deposits of minerals and rare earth metals necessary for India’s
IT industry and electronic majors.
iii. Diplomats are not ruling out the possibility that a dramatic
change in bilateral ties like what the U.S. achieved with Iran
and Cuba could possibly also occur in case of North Korea. If
ties improve then there will a rush to North Korea and India
should be an early bid.
Indo-Japan Relations
a) Importance:
1. Why we need Japan –
a. Highly developed nation. An important source of investment and
technology.
b. As a part of our Look East Policy.
c. Area of skill development (80% of labour is skilled).
d. India can learn from Japan in disaster management especially
Earthquake.
2. Why Japan needs us
a. Huge market for Japanese products.
b. Japan has surplus capital to invest and India needs investment.
3. Mutual reasons
a. China
i. Part of peripheral diplomacy for India.
ii. Japan needs India to counter China; becoming assertive in East
China Sea too.

www.iasscore.in
34
NotesPositives –Steps Taken
1. Regular contacts
a. Narendra Modi recently visited Japan in August, 2014.
2. Area of cooperation
a. Economic
i. Investment
• Projects fuded by it : Delhi Metro Project, Western
Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), DMIC (Delhi
Mumbai Industrial corridor).
• During Modi’s visit in 2014, Japan promised to invest
$35 billion in India over the next five years.
• It is the largest provider of Official Development
Assistance to India.
ii. India is supplying rare earths to Japan (after China decided to
cut export).
b. Security front
i. In 2014 our strategic relations were upgraded to Special Strategic
and Global Partnership.
ii. Since 2011 holding the defence and foreign affairs dialogue in
the “2+2” Format at secretary level.
iii. Japan and India have held naval exercises in the Indian Ocean.
c. Both are members of G – 4 (group aspiring to be member of UNSC).
d. Soft power
i. Buddhism; During WW-2 INA of SC Bose and the Japanese
Imperial Army fought together in battles against the British
forces.
ii. Japan is involved in reconstruction of Nalanda.
iii. Modi wants to develop rejuvenating Indian cities on the lines
of Kyoto. A partner city affiliation agreement between
Varanasi (Kashi) and Kyoto was signed in 2014, which will
see cooperation in the fields of heritage conservation, city
modernization and culture.
c) Challenges
1. Economic
a. Trade : below potential;(Bilateral trade at $16.29 billion in 2013-14
accounted for just 2.13 per cent of India’s total trade; our trade with South
Korea > Japan)
b. Investment faces hurdles due to complex regulatory environment;
language barrier.
c. Japan like South Korea argues that the content of the Indo-Japan
CEPA needs to be upgraded to match with other FTAs which India
has with other countries.

www.iasscore.in
35
Notes
d. Subsequently Japan plus cell was setup in DIPP (department of
industrial policy & promotion).
2. Security
a. Strategic relationships are symbolic, jut confined naval exercises
inspite of China’s assertiveness.
b. Reasons
i. No one wants to provoke China which keeps a close eye on
evolving India-Japan ties.
ii. Japans pacifist constitution; that’s why coulddn’t secure the
supply of Japan’s world class US-2 amphibious aircraft.
3. Civilian nuclear deal hasn’t been negotiated because of Japan being the
only victim of a nuclear attack and after the Fukushima radiation disaster
in 2011 it has become more apprehensive of nuclear power.
4. People to people contact is less.
Oceania
A. Australia
1. Positives
a. Regular contacts:
i. Bilateral : PM of Australia visited India in September 2014,
Modi visited Australia in Nov, 2014.
ii. On sidelines of summit : Commonwealth meet, G – 20, IORA,
East Asia summit.
b. Economic:
i. Trade : Annual trade is worth nearly AU$16 billion in 2014.
ii. Investment : Indian investment in Australia was AU$10.9 billion
in 2014 (mainly in field of energy), and Australian investment
in India was AU$9.8 billion.
c. Investment:
i. India and Australia have also launched the CEO Forum.
ii. Negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
Agreement (CECA) expected to be concluded by December
2016.
d. Energy:
i. Australia is an “energy superpower” having abundant coal, oil,
natural gas and uranium.
ii. Adai group is developing the Carmichael coal mine project
which will provide coal to India.
iii. Reliance has entered into a partnership agreement with Uranium
Exploration;

Agriculture reforms and farmer suicides

Agriculture reforms and farmer suicides

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (12)

Similar to Agriculture reforms and farmer suicides

Similar to Agriculture reforms and farmer suicides (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Agriculture reforms and farmer suicides