Indian Subcontinent Watch Thread

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Yuli Ban
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Indian Subcontinent Watch Thread

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News relating to the countries in the Indian Subcontinent:
Geopolitically, the Indian subcontinent generally includes all or part of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as the Maldives
Still in the throes of Covid, India emerges as one of Asia’s top stock markets in May
  • India stocks were higher in May even as the country battles a devastating resurgence of Covid-19 —the Nifty 50 rose 6.5% while the BSE
  • Sensex was up 6.47%.
  • Vietnam was Asia-Pacific’s best-performing market in May, with the VN Index jumping 7.15% for the month.
  • Elsewhere, stocks in Taiwan took a beating in May following a rise in domestic infections that prompted tighter restrictions.
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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caltrek
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India's Central Bank Says that Growing Presence of Big Tech in Financial Services is a Concern
by Manish Singh
July 1, 2021

https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/01/india ... a-concern/

Introduction:
(TechCrunch) India’s central bank has identified Big Tech’s push into financial services as a challenge for banks in the South Asian market, saying the growing presence of these firms have prompted concerns about creation of an uneven playing field.

In a report published on Thursday, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said Big Tech offers a wide range of digital services that hold the promise of supporting financial inclusion, generating lasting efficiency gains, and making banks become more competitive, but their expansion in the financial services sector has given rise to “important policy issues.”

“Specifically, concerns have intensified around a level playing field with banks, operational risk, too-big-to-fail issues, challenges for antitrust rules, cybersecurity and data privacy,” the Indian central bank wrote.

Big Tech firms “straddle many different (nonfinancial) lines of business with sometimes opaque overarching governance structures” and have the potential to become “the dominant players” in financial services, wrote the central bank, which also regulates the finance market in India. “Third, Big Tech [companies] are generally able to overcome limits to scale in financial services provision by exploiting network effects.”

“For central banks and financial regulators, financial stability objectives may be best pursued by blending activity and entity-based prudential regulation of Big Tech [companies] (an activity-based approach is already applied in areas such as anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism; an activity-based approach is the provision of cloud services, where minimising operational and in particular, cyber risk is paramount).”
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caltrek
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Home Secretary Chairs Meet to review Jammu and Kashmir Security
July 6, 2021

https://www.hindustantimes.com/

Introduction:
(Hindustan Times) The Union home ministry hasn’t put out a statement on Bhalla’s meeting on Tuesday, which one official said, was part of the continuing effort by the security establishment to minimise the risk posed by the use of commercially available drones.

Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Tuesday held a high-level security meeting to review the security situation in the wake of the first-ever drone attack at an Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Jammu and Kashmir last month, people familiar with the development said. Tuesday’s meeting, aimed at firming up the counter-measures needed to neutralise the threat posed by small drones, or quadcopters, comes a day after the Union government sent a multi-agency team to Bengaluru for a special demonstration of the available anti-drone technology in the public and private sector, a government official said on condition of anonymity.

The Union home ministry hasn’t put out a statement on Bhalla’s meeting on Tuesday, which one official said, was part of the continuing effort by the security establishment to minimise the risk posed by the use of commercially available drones
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Yuli Ban
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India is proposing a 2-child policy to keep its population under control, and it includes cash benefits for couples who opt for voluntary sterilization
  • India is taking a leaf from China's population playbook with a proposed two-child policy in two states.
  • The two-child policy in Uttar Pradesh would give cash benefits to couples who opt for voluntary sterilization.
  • Meanwhile, those who choose to have more than two kids could have their government subsidies taken away.

And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
weatheriscool
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US, India agree to expand multilateral security partnership
Source: AP

By SHEIKH SAALIQ

NEW DELHI (AP) — The top diplomats of India and the United States pledged Wednesday to expand their multilateral security partnership, underscoring the deepening of ties between two countries concerned over China’s growing influence in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met in New Delhi and sought to strengthen a regional front against Beijing’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and their cooperation in Afghanistan.

They also lauded each country’s help in fighting the coronavirus and said their vaccine partnership is an effort to end the pandemic.

“There are few relationships in the world that are more vital than one between the U.S. and India. We are the world’s two leading democracies and our diversity fuels our national strength,” Blinken said at a joint news conference.


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/government-a ... 81e980c7f6
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caltrek
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House Descends Into Chaos Over Farm Laws
August 11, 2021

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-ne ... 63149.html

Introduction:
(Hindustan Times) The Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian parliament) was supposed to see a debate on agriculture, the problems that ailed it, and solutions -- the closest the government has come to giving in to the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the three contentious farm reform laws passed last year and the ensuing and still ongoing farmers’ protest -- but what it ended up seeing for four hours on Tuesday was tumult and chaos.

At least two Opposition MPs, including Aam Admi Party’s (AAP) Sanjay Singh, sat on the table usually occupied by the staff of the Rajya Sabha secretariat (though they prefer chairs) and shouted slogans. The Congress’s Pratap Singh Bajwa, stood atop the table and tossed the House rulebook to the Chair . And Opposition MPs swarmed the Well of the House.

Two Opposition leaders later conceded that the “protests” were part of their plan; they were miffed that the debate was held on the generic topic of problems of agriculture, and not on the farm laws. Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien, however, claimed that all opposition parties will “fully support” the upcoming Constitution amendment bill that restores the rights of states to identify and define socially and economically backward classes.

A senior government functionary suggested that the government might not seek disciplinary action against opposition MPs .

“It’s like a new normal! The government bills are passed even as the Opposition disrupts the House. Immediate action against some MPs may be avoided as the government needs the Opposition’s support to pass the Constitution amendment bill.”
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caltrek
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When is the Hindu Festival of Janmashtami 2021 and What is its Significance?
by David Tusing
August 30, 2021
(The National) Hindus around the world on Monday celebrated the festival of Janmasthami or Krishna Janmasthami, which marks the birth of Krishna, believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu, one of the principal deities of Hinduism.

The occasion is observed on the eighth day of Krishna Paksha or the waning Moon according to the Hindu calendar. This year, it falls on August 30.

According to Hindu mythology, Krishna was born at midnight in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. Owing to a threat to his life from his uncle, the tyrant King Kamsa, Krishna’s father took him across the Yamuna river to his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda for safekeeping.

Celebrations include the staging of plays, such as the Ras lila, and pujas or prayers being held. Devotees traditionally fast throughout the day and observe symbolic vigils at night by singing devotional songs in temples and homes. They then share food at midnight, which is when Krishna is believed to have been born.

Children are often dressed as little Krishna on the day.
caltrek's comment: Have a Merry Janmasthami. :)
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caltrek
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Why Do Farm Concerns in India Not Get as Much Political Attention as They Should?
by Roshan Kishore and Abhishek Jha
September 23, 2021

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-ne ... 50286.html

Introduction:
(Hindustan Times) An analysis of the report of the latest Situation Assessment Survey (SAS), the findings of which were first reported on September 11, offers an insight into the reasons for the problems in the agriculture sector not finding a resonance in politics.

A large majority of the population at the bottom of the social hierarchy in India does not have significant stakes in agriculture. The social groups, who are still invested in farming, are also the ones who are more successful in getting out of villages. This creates a political vacuum for a social-economic class that can build pressure for an effective policy framework to rescue Indian agriculture from its current crisis. Even those who are left in villages are sidetracked by other issues and unlikely to make efforts to develop a genuine farmers’ solidarity.
Image

ST = Scheduled Tribes
SC = Scheduled Castes
OBC = Other Backward Classes
Last edited by caltrek on Tue Sep 28, 2021 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bharat Bandh Tomorrow: From Bank Union to Opposition Parties, Support Grows for Farmers’ Strike
September 26, 2021

https://indianexpress.com/article/india ... s-7534926/

Introduction:
(The Indian Express) Bharat bandh on September 27: The Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) call for a Bharat Bandh on Monday, to mark the first anniversary of the three controversial farm laws getting Presidential assent, has garnered support from all sections of the society, including political parties.

Many Opposition parties have expressed their support to the bandh — while Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has supported the bandh, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav has announced that he will participate in the nationwide strike. The Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu governments, too, have declared complete support to the nationwide strike. Congress has also said that it will be joining the protests on Monday.

Bharat bandh timings

The bandh will be held from 6 in the morning to 4 in the evening during which all government and private offices, educational and other institutions, shops, industries and commercial establishments as well as public events and functions will be closed throughout the country. However, all emergency establishments and essential services, including hospitals, medical stores, relief and rescue work and people attending to personal emergencies will be exempted. The bandh will be enforced in a voluntary and peaceful manner, the SKM has assured.

The Andhra Pradesh government has declared full support to the Bharat Bandh on September 27, and also to workers of Visakhapatnam steel plant, state Information and Transport Minister Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) said on Saturday.

Nani told reporters that the state government has decided to stop APSRTC buses across the state from September 26 midnight to September 27 afternoon.
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Many keep writing about China: how large it is and how fast it is growing. Often overlooked as a potential counterweight is India.

Early Third Quarter Indications Show India's Startup Ecosystem is Going Gangbusters
by Alex Wilhelm
September 30, 2021

https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/30/early ... ngbusters/
(TechCrunch) Ola Electric announced this morning that it closed a $200 million round at a $3 billion valuation. The EV company’s parent, Ola, is best known as an Indian ride-hailing platform. Ola itself has raised more than $4.5 billion to date, per Crunchbase data, while Ola Electric is now over the $500 million fundraising mark, if we’re doing our morning sums correctly.

That none of those numbers really surprised you is indicative of how active the Indian startup ecosystem has become. It seems that every day TechCrunch covers yet another new unicorn from the country, or at least a tidy nine-figure round as a consolation prize.

I was curious about what early third-quarter data could tell us about India’s recent venture capital results. I’m also interested in whether all the noise coming from the country’s startup market was adding up to anything. So we’re doing a little bit of a data dive.

We’ll examine historical data from India, and then do some quick and dirty data pulls to get a handle on where the country is heading as Q3 comes to a close. And for comparison’s sake, we’ll loop in both historical and present data from the Chinese startup market to see how India stacks up. (See article linked above this quote box for this follow-up).
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