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‘An India Economic Strategy to 2035 – Navigating from potential to delivery’ WHY INDIA AND WHY NOW? ‘An India Economic Strategy to 2035 – Navigating from potential to delivery ‘is a report by Mr. Peter N Varghese AO, Chancellor, The University of Queensland for Department of Foreign Trade and development (DFAT) and was released by Australian Prime Minister Mr. Malcolm Turnbull MP on 12 July, 2018. Following is the executive summary of the report – an ambitious plan to unlock opportunities for Australian Businesses in India out to 2035. The full report can be accessed at – http://indiaeconomicstrategy. dfat.gov.au EXECUTIVE SUMMERY Australian business has long put India in the 'too hard' basket. There are three overriding reasons why this must change: scale, complementary economies and spreading risk.

For Australian companies with a global focus the key question is whether they can afford not to be in what is the fastest growing large economy in the world.

India's scale is extraordinary. By 2025, one-fifth of the world's working age population will be Indian. By 2030 there will be over 850 million internet users in India. By 2035 India's five largest cities will have economies of comparable size to middle income countries today.

There is no market over the next 20 years which offers more growth opportunities for Australian business than India. The targets set out in this report would see Australian exports to India grow from $14.9 billion in 2017 to around $45 billion measured in today's dollars, and outward Australian investment to India rise from $10.3 billion to over the $100 billion mark, reflecting a transformational expansion of the relationship. That is the size of the opportunity and the key lesson for Australia of India's scale, the momentum which is already built into its growth trajectory and the underlying complementarity between our two economies.

The opportunities however will not fall into our lap. They require a sharper national focus on India by government, an unambiguous commitment

by Australian business and a deeper understanding by both government and business of the magnitude of what is unfolding in an Indian market place which will only get more crowded.

They will also require an approach to the investment relationship with India that markedly differs from the trajectory of Australian investment in most other

Asian markets.

This report has a simple message. The transformation of the Indian economy is underway. Its progress will be uneven but the direction is clear and irreversible. To realise the opportunities this opens up, we need as a country to make a strategic investment in India which is backed up with an ambitious, long term and multidimensional Australian strategy driven at the highest levels of the Australian Government.

Australia should set itself the goal by 2035 to

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lift India into its top three export markets, to make it the third largest destination in Asia for Australian outward investment, and to bring it into the inner circle of Australia's strategic partnerships and with people to people ties as close as any in Asia.

THE LONG VIEW: PATIENCE, PERSPECTIVE AND PREPARATION What follows is a deliberately long term perspective about Australia and India: out to 2035.

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‘An India Economic Strategy to 2035 – Navigating from potential to delivery’ Contd. from pg 3

A strategy with this time horizon has to try and capture not just how India will change over the next 20 years but also shifts in the Australian economy.

We are today poised globally at the edge of a revolution in technology.

Artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning and other innovations will likely change the nature of work and the productivity of both the Australian and Indian economies. So looking out to 2035 means plotting the points of intersection of two moving parts.

A long view is important for any strategy. For India it is essential. India is a market which requires patience, perspective and preparation. Change in India is often invisible to the naked eye. That is one reason why perceptions of India in the Australian business community are caught in a time warp: largely unaware of the significant positive changes taking place in India and shaped by a 'once bitten twice shy' perspective.

The opening up of the Indian economy is a good example. Australian business still tends to think of the Indian economy as relatively closed. Yet the Indian economy of today is very different to the days of the license raj. And the Indian economy of 2035 will be different again.

India's average applied tariff is today one-tenth what it was in 1990. In 1990, total trade as a proportion of Indian gross domestic product (GDP) was around 13 per cent. Today it is 40 per cent. India's two way foreign direct investment (FDI) to GDP ratio at just under 20 per cent is still low by global averages.

But the stock of inward FDI has grown by 19 per cent a year over each of the last 20 years.

None of this is to suggest that doing business in and with India will not have its challenges. India is too complicated for its growth story to be linear.

Its economic progress will be uneven and incremental, constrained by the political compromises demanded by a diverse democratic federation, held back by thinly resourced institutions, burdened by a bureaucracy

too susceptible to arbitrary interference, dented by endemic corruption and shaped by a political tradition which puts much greater faith in government intervention than the efficiency of markets.

There is no point lamenting these constraints.

They are wired into the Indian experience. We need to understand them but also acknowledge that they are changing and look beyond them to grasp the significance of the opportunities created by a growing Indian economy.

INDIA MARCHES TO ITS OWN TUNE – IT IS NOT THE NEXT CHINA India needs to be understood on its own terms. It will always march to its own tune. It is the only country with the scale to match China but it will not be the next China.

Indeed comparisons with China only get in the way of understanding the nature of the opportunities in the Indian market.

No Indian Government will be able to direct the economy in the way China does. Nor will it ever have the control over the allocation of resources which has been intrinsic to China's economic success.

China has a discipline to its economic planning which flows from its one party political system and the competence of its state institutions. Also for all its diversity, China has a strong Han Chinese core which has no counterpart in the linguistic and cultural diversity of India.

India's economy will be big but not as big as China's (which is currently five times its size). China's economy would have to crash and India's grow at over 10 per cent a year for several decades for India to catch up. Neither is likely.

Nor will India's economic model mirror that of East Asia's. Its growth will be driven by consumption and services, not exports. It has demographics on its side, a long entrepreneurial tradition, an expanding consumer class, significant headroom for productivity improvements and the confidence that comes from a strong sense of its civilizational pedigree and destiny.

The drivers of Indian growth are deeply structural

which suggests they are also sustainable. They include the urbanisation of the world's largest rural population, the gradual movement of the informal economy, currently comprising 90 per cent of India's workers, into the formal economy, a young demographic with a mean age of 27, considerable investment in infrastructure, and the beginnings of an ambitious program to upskill 400 million Indians.

These structural drivers will likely keep India on a relatively strong growth path. I have deliberately taken a moderate view of the rate of growth out to 2035, assuming that it will be in the order of 6–8 per cent each year over the next 20 years. This assumes incremental rather than radical structural reforms.

But for what is already the world's fastest growing large economy to grow by 6–8 per cent each year for the next two decades will still be transformative for India itself, its region and its economic partners.

Most of all India has scale.

It will by 2035 overtake China as the world's most populous country. This means a deep domestic market which will likely make India the world's third largest economy by 2035 after China and the United States measured by market exchange rates. It is already the third largest economy measured by purchasing power parity.

Scale encourages ambition but it is the structural complementarity between the Indian and Australian economies which is the key to translating ambition into opportunities. Put simply, a growing Indian economy will need more of the things Australia is well placed to provide from education services to resources and energy; from food to health care; from tourist destinations to expertise in water and environmental management. Indeed services are likely to be the fastest growing segment of our future economic relationship with India.

Beyond scale and complementary economies there is a third important reason to bring India into the first tier of our economic relationships: spreading risk.

Exports and attracting

foreign investment are key elements in the strength of the Australian economy and our ability to maintain a rising standard of living. In a global economy, it pays to hedge against volatility by diversifying. If we can count India in our top three export destinations and if we can tap more two-way investment between our countries, Australia's exposure to global risk is reduced. A strong economic relationship with India strengthens Australia's economic resilience. That is important for a country where 40 per cent of our exports currently go to just two markets with ageing populations. India – a large and young population – adds balance and spreads risk in Australia's economic relationships. A partnership with India in science and innovation can also help drive domestic productivity and create Australian jobs in sectors we are yet to imagine.

A THREE PILLAR STRATEGY: ECONOMICS, GEOPOLITICS AND PEOPLE The focus of this report is on building a sustainable long term India economic strategy. But an economic strategy works best within a much broader and deeper relationship with India.

Our economic strategy should be seen as one of three pillars on which the bilateral relationship should rest, the other two being geopolitical congruence and people to people ties.

Geopolitical convergence Our geopolitical congruence flows from three core factors.

First, as partners in the Indo-Pacific we are each grappling with the implications of the fading of US strategic predominance and the sharpening ambition of China to become the predominant power in the region.

Second, both Australia and India support a rules based international order.

That order, the product of decades of United Statesled investment in global institutions and public goods, is under increasing threat. Its defenders are shrinking and its challengers growing. Since Australia can neither buy nor bully its way in the world, a system based on rules not might is

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important.

Third, India is a partner in seeking to forge regional institutions in the IndoPacific which are inclusive, promote further economic integration and can help at the margins to manage the tensions which inevitably flow as economic growth across the region shifts strategic weight and relativities. That is why India should be brought into the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Moreover, both Australia and India see China as an important part of inclusive regional institutions, especially the East Asia Summit (EAS). And both countries attach a high priority to our relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the individual countries of Southeast Asia.

So while India will always march to its own strategic tune and cherish its strategic autonomy, the scope for us to work together on the broader challenges of the IndoPacific is growing as is India's willingness to work with the United States, Japan and Australia in ways which capture the growing strategic convergence of these four democracies.

From Australia's perspective it is India's liberal democratic and secular character which provides a foundation for this evolving strategic congruence. Some worry that this defining and tested feature of India is under strain. That seems an exaggerated fear at this time. But anything which materially weakens India's democratic credentials or its commitment to a secular liberal society would not only be a tragedy for India but also call into question the very basis of our strategic partnership.

People to people ties The third pillar of the relationship – our growing people to people links – may over time prove to be the most significant asset of all.

India is currently our largest source of skilled migrants, our second largest source of international students and a substantial proportion of those who come to Australia under temporary visas to fill skilled positions that Australians cannot.

Contd. on pg 6

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‘An India Economic Strategy to 2035 – Navigating from potential to delivery’ Contd. from pg 4 In the last decade we have seen a very large increase in the size of the Indian diaspora in Australia, now 700,000 strong and the fastest growing large diaspora in Australia. To reach this size in a little over a decade is remarkable.

This diaspora will have a big role to play in the partnership of the future. They can go into the nooks and crannies of a relationship where governments cannot. They can shape perceptions in a way governments cannot.

And they create personal links, in business, the arts, education, and civil society which can help anchor the relationship.

Chapter 18 provides a detailed analysis of the Indian diaspora in Australia and its potential role in building the business relationship with India. It points to the likely growing political influence of the Indian diaspora, something which is already evident in state politics. As they have in Canada, the Indian diaspora may prove over the next two decades to be the most politically active of any migrant group in Australian history since the Irish. This will have implications for the priority our political leaders will place on the relationship with India.

TEN SECTORS AND TEN STATES: THE CORE OF THE STRATEGY Economics, geopolitics and people form the three core pillars of the relationship we must build with India. But Australian business needs something beyond this macro framework; a mapping of the terrain of opportunity; an entry point into how best to think about the Indian market; how to make sense of its size and diversity and where to begin.

The core of the economic strategy set out in this report is 'sectors and states'.

Sectors This report identifies 10 sectors in an evolving Indian market where Australia has competitive advantages. These in turn are divided into a flagship sector (education), three lead sectors (agribusiness, resources and tourism) and six promising sectors (energy, health, financial services, infrastructure, sport, science and innovation). I have not included defence and security among the priority

sectors but, in light of the government's broader priority on defence exports I have included a chapter on the opportunities in this area.

Identifying sectors is not choosing winners: only pointing to the areas which hold promise for Australian trade and investment in a growing market where there will be large gaps between what India needs and what it can provide from domestic resources.

The sectoral analysis is forward looking but it cannot escape extrapolations from the current situation. I recognise at the outset that the future may in some areas be quite different to extrapolations.

Indeed over a 20 year period there may well be opportunities which no one can clearly see today.

Education is identified as the flagship sector of the future because of a combination of Australian expertise, the scale of India's education deficit and the way in which an education and training demand weaves its way through virtually every sector of the Indian economy.

Education is so much more than increasing the number of Indian students coming to Australia. It also signals engagement, collaboration, a responsiveness to the priorities of India and a bridge between our two communities. Australia's education relationship with India needs to focus on a message of quality, on postgraduate and research collaboration, on science and innovation, on forging partnerships to deliver cost effective vocational education in India and partnering with India in the digital delivery of education. The last will be crucial if India is to meet its ambitious target of upskilling 400 million Indians.

The three lead sectors are chosen because they are areas where Australia is well positioned to become a top five partner of India. The six promising sectors represent areas where Australia can position itself as a niche provider in a large market.

In the chapters that follow we delve deeply into each of these 10 sectors: providing an analysis of its trajectory out to 2035, the drivers of growth including which Indian states to focus on, the constraints, and the opportunities for Australian exports and two way investment in the short,

medium and long term.

States The focus on states reflects a number of judgements. First, India is best seen not as a single economy but as an aggregation of very different state economies, each growing at different rates, driven by different strengths, led in different ways and likely to continue to be uneven in their progress.

Second, competitive federalism is becoming a larger part of the underlying dynamic of the Indian economy. It is encouraged by the centre and is being enthusiastically embraced by the states, especially those five states which produce 70 per cent of India's exports.

Third, many of the hardest structural reforms holding back the Indian economy, such as land access and labour market regulation, are more likely to be progressed by state governments rather than centrally.

Fourth, as barriers to trade across state borders reduce, and the introduction in 2017 of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) was the single biggest step in this direction, labour and capital will gravitate towards those states which offer the best conditions and prospects for business.

The Central Government will always be important for doing business in India.

It sets the macroeconomic policy framework, especially in terms of foreign investment policy.

Constitutionally powers are both divided and shared between the centre and the states. But the centre has a reach which often goes well beyond the black letter of the constitution.

However, it is states which practically control many of the things which make the day to day life of a foreign business in India easy or difficult: access to land, regulation of labour, provision of infrastructure, the application and interpretation of regulation and so on.

For all these reasons, the strategy recommends that a focus on sectors be matched with a focus on states. Ten states are selected: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Punjab, the National Capital Region of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Other states may

also present opportunities but the weight of effort should be in these 10 states.

The choice of states reflects a combination of their economic heft, their commitment to reform, their relevance to the sectors where Australia has competitive advantages, the ease of doing business there, their investment in the social and physical infrastructure which drives growth and their economic potential in the future.

A focus on states includes an important role for Australian states, each of which are keen to do more in India and are especially important in promoting Indian investment in Australia.

The intersection of these 10 sectors and 10 states is at the heart of the strategy recommended in this report. It is a strategy designed to play to Australia's economic strengths, make planning for entry into the Indian market more manageable, respond to India's priorities, identify where the future growth is, and plug into the benefits of competitive federalism in India.

INVESTMENT Chapter 2: The Investment Story looks at the broader investment outlook in India. Each of the sectoral chapters also includes a section on the two-way investment opportunities and how trade and investment can reinforce each other.

Today, the Australia India investment relationship is small. Yet we are both countries dependent on foreign investment to lift our growth and standard of living.

In virtually all of Australia's relationships in Asia, direct investment lags trade by a wide margin.

India holds out the prospect of being different. It has a relatively open foreign investment regime, more open than its approach to trade. It has the rule of law although long delays (it takes an average of four years for courts to resolve a commercial case) considerably erode this advantage. Its institutions are familiar to Australians, both derived from British models, and English is widely spoken – a very significant asset.

Automation, artificial intelligence and India's own services sector moving up the value chain means investing in India is no longer about offshoring

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labour-intensive tasks.

In short, we may have a better chance with India to secure more balance between our trade and investment relationship than we have with any other major Asian economy.

Indeed we should set ourselves the ambition by 2035 for India to be the third largest destination in Asia for outward Australian investment.

This is a big target given our low starting point.

But attracting foreign investment is a key element in the Indian economic model and over 20 years India's policy framework on foreign investment will become more and more open. India also offers big opportunities in the long term for Australian pension funds and Australian expertise on infrastructure finance is well suited to a country where addressing the infrastructure deficit is essential to economic growth. As the business environment in India improves Australian investors will hopefully pay much closer attention to investment opportunities and the way in which investment and trade come together in the Indian market.

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT In an ideal world an economic strategy would rest on the business to business relationship with a light touch from government. It is business on both sides which should drive the trade and investment relationship.

India however is a market where government cannot be left out of the equation.

Indeed, governments on both sides have an important role to play in bringing a successful economic strategy to fruition.

A number of countries that are currently doing well in India adopt a national strategy which puts government coordination and leadership at the forefront of their India strategy. Japan and Singapore are two good examples.

At one level an 'Australia Inc.' approach to India also makes conceptual sense.

The government plays an important role in the Indian economy. Public enterprises still constitute a significant part of India's corporate structure, especially in the banking sector and in resource extraction.

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‘An India Economic Strategy to 2035 – Navigating from potential to delivery’

Contd. from pg 6

The government set policy and regulatory framework is key to many of the sectors which this report identifies as areas of opportunity for Australia in India. Also, the role of market forces is less strong in India's political culture than it is in Australia.

The Australian experience however does not lend itself so easily to an Australia Inc approach.

Australian Governments have neither the capacity nor the inclination to direct business much less expend substantial resources to assist Australian companies enter and thrive in the Indian market.

We have to find our own settling point for the role of government in an India economic strategy: one that reflects the Australian system and experience where business is done by companies not governments.

But this does not mean a hands off approach by government. This is a report to the Australian Government with a natural focus on what the government should do.

It starts with the premise that the government has an important role to play in facilitating trade and investment with India.

This report identifies six areas where the Australian Government should play an active role.

First, applying sustained high level attention to the bilateral relationship with India led at the highest levels of the Australian Government and including a regular pattern of prime ministerial and ministerial visits. Each of the 10 sectors identified in this report should have a ministerial champion at the federal level, reinforced by the work of the Commonwealth Public Service and Australian state governments.

Second, government has a role in raising awareness of the opportunities in the Indian market. This does not mean boosterism. We need to navigate between the hype that India is the next China and the outdated pessimism that India is just too hard.

Third, government, and particularly agencies such as DFAT and Austrade,

have an important role in helping Australian firms understand the complexities of the Indian market place and India's business culture, including how to go about finding the right Indian partner and understanding the broader political economy of India.

Fourth, the government should invest the resources to ensure we have an adequate diplomatic and trade footprint in India. This is particularly important for a strategy that focuses on Indian states and cities. Australia starts in a strong position.

We have one of the most extensive networks of diplomatic and especially trade offices in India, now numbering 11 offices.

But we need to do more including opening new Consulates-General in Kolkata and Bengaluru.

Fifth, government is the only player that can lead a policy dialogue with India that looks at our respective experiences in policy reforms and regulatory controls.

Virtually all of the sectors identified in this report are highly dependent

on the right policy and regulatory framework. The economic opportunities in both directions will depend on the economic policy settings of each government. This underlines the need for a deeper policy dialogue between Australia and India which also brings in the private sector to ensure that policy changes reflect commercial realities and priorities and facilitates business engagement. A deeper policy dialogue with India will help us better understand the drivers of Indian economic policy and the role of the state in India's political culture, just as it might help India better understand the limits that government can play in the Australian context.

Sixth, government has a unique role to play in enhancing the understanding of Australia in India. The truth is – that at a community level – neither of us know much about the other. The Indian elite has traditionally not looked to Australia. That is beginning to change, but only slowly. And for the broader Indian community,

images of Australia tend to be sketchy, shaped by cricket, historical connections and sporadic coverage in the Indian media.

Similarly, in Australia, there is very little understanding of contemporary India in the wider community.

Australians, for the most part, have only a partial glimpse of India's diversity, its sophistication and of the scale of its prospects.

If our partnership is to reach its full potential we must modernise our perceptions of each other.

It is in our interests to do away with misconceived notions of what the other stands for.

What we achieve together in coming decades will have little to do with a shared imperial past. It will have not much to do with the English language, although that will greatly help. And it will have to be a tighter bond than anything forged on a cricket field. Rather, it will turn on gaining a real understanding of each other, of where we differ but also what brings us together including shared interests and the strength of our diversity.

THE ROLE OF BUSINESS Just as government has a large role to play in an enhanced India economic strategy, so also do we need stronger business to business relationships.

The current structures which underpin the business to business relationship are not strong enough to support a larger trade and investment relationship. The AustraliaIndia CEO Forum is a useful vehicle but it needs an agenda beyond its meetings which themselves should be brought into a regular annual cycle.

Similarly, the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) needs more clout. It should include the big corporates who do business in India as well as the small and medium enterprise (SME) membership which is its current focus. The AIBC also needs to broaden much further beyond the diaspora community and in the process be less susceptible to the factionalism which too

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often plagues diaspora groups.

A more active role by the Business Council of Australia (BCA) would be one means of strengthening the business to business relationship.

The BCA would make a good secretariat for the CEO Forum, giving it some business heft and aligning it more closely with Australia's business priorities.

There should also be a much closer relationship between the BCA and AIBC and the Indian industry groups such as the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Association of Chambers of Commerce which play such a key role in promoting India's business links with its major trading partners.

The current business to business architecture struggles to keep up with the existing relationship let alone pave the way for the larger relationship to come.

Its leadership is dedicated and eager to do more but it is constrained by limited resources and a volunteer base. This must change and the government should do what it can to facilitate that change.

The strategy outlined in this report goes to how Australia positions itself to build a long term and sustainable partnership with India. It is for the most part a strategy about Australia in India. For the partnership to be complete however there also needs to be a strategy for India in Australia and I hope that is something the Indian Government will consider.

A unilateral strategy can only partially succeed. A partnership, on the other hand, rests on that most enduring of foundations: mutual interests.

India is already in the first tier of Australia's diplomatic relations. It has been a high foreign policy priority for at least two decades. But the economic relationship is stuck in the second tier. This report is about how we can change that and place the economic relationship at the centre of our partnership with India.

Source: DFAT

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IFFM 2018

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SAT EDITOR’S PICKS of EVENTS @ IFFM2018

OPENING NIGHT ON AUGUST 10, 7 PM HOYTS MELBOURNE CENTRAL including Ministers, Counsel General of India and media in celebrating India and its rich heritage. Together, let us personify Melbourne’s embrace of diversity by paying homage to one of the most important democracies of the world.

This is a free event.

Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition August 11, 12:00 PM @ Federation Square

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oin the mega event overflowing with stars and entertainment at the opening night of IFFM 2018, with a lamp lighting ceremony followed by an interaction with actress Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), producer and director TabrezNoorani (Love Sonia) and the film’s lead actress Mrunal Thakur. Director TabrezNoorani, along with the principal cast of Freida Pinto, RichaChadda and Mrunal Thakur will be in attendance for the opening night followed by a Q & A with the team. This event is ticketed.

LOVE SONIA (2018); 120 min; R18+; Hindi, English, Cantonese with English Subtitles Director TabrezNoorani& Cast RichaChadda, Demi Moore, Mark Duplass, Freida Pinto, ManojBajpayee, AnupamKher, Adil Hussain,

Rajkummar Rao, Sai Tamhankar, Mrunal Thakur, Riya Sisodiya Love Sonia tells the heartfelt and brave story of Sonia (Mrunal Thakur), a young Indian Village girl whose life irrevocably changes when she is entrapped into the vicious global sex trade network. The film also stars RichaChadda, Frieda Pinto, Demi Moore, AnupamKher, ManojBajpayee, Rajkummar Rao and Sai Tamhankar.

The film is produced by David Womark who has also produced the Academy Award winning film Life of Pi and the BAFTA awardee, Deepwater Horizon.

to help us commemorate our Independence from the British Raj with a traditional flag hoisting ceremony to be held at Federation Square. The Indian flag is a source of pride and recognition for the Indian populace across the globe.

A celebration of the Indian Independence, its dance, music and culture reminds the world of Melbourne’s multiculturalism and its embrace of people from different racial and cultural backgrounds. Join us on this historic occasion as a proud Melburnian to help celebrate culture, diversity and unity. Join us along with the thousands

Welcome to one of Australia’s most loved events, where teams come from all over the country to dance and perform.If you are still hungover from 2017’s performances judged by superstars Karan Johar, Malaika Arora with special appearance from Sushant Singh Rajput ,then you need to prepare yourselves for awesomeness coming in 2018. Judged by a special celebrity guest along with the vivacious Malaika Arora Khan, this dance extravaganza promises to be a celebration of all things Bollywood. The pulsating environment, the foot tapping music and the electrifying energy is sure to make you dance along in this free for all dance

IFFM Flag Hoisting: Indian Independence Day Celebrations on 11 Aug., 11 am Fed. Sq. As Independent India steps into its 71st year, the city of Melbourne is all set

competition to be held at Federation Square. Come along and groove to them desi tunes! This is a free event.

Masterclasses and Panels IFFM Panel Discussion: Changing landscape and future of cinema

The future of cinema is here and now! As we traverse through emerging technologies and evolving platforms, the way we make, distribute and consume cinema is fast changing. In this exciting and diverse climate of evolution, understanding the changing landscape and future of cinema becomes an important conversation.

And who better than our panelists, AvtarPanesar, Shibasish Sarkar to throw some light on such a pertinent topic moderated by the ace film critic and trade analyst, TaranAdarsh.

Walk in and get a sneak peek into the future! This is a ticketed event.

Panelists are AvtarPanesar, Shibasish Sarkar, Nikhil Advani& moderatorTaranAdarsh.

Saturday, August 11, 03:30 PM | Deakin Edge, Fed. Sq. IFFM Panel Discussion: East meets West The fast shrinking world has led us to an array of opportunities to collaborate with people across the Earth in their varied creative pursuits. While directionally opposite, lines between the cinematic universe of the East and the West is fast blurring, thereby giving us a wonderful new-world fusion of truly global cinema.

Some of the most promising talents to this effect are actors Ali Fazal and Frieda Pinto who’ve carved a CONTD. ON PG 12

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IFFM 2018

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SAT EDITOR'S PICKS OF EVENTS @ IFFM2018 delve into a conversation on filmmaking experience of a recent blockbuster hit Sanju.

This one is definitely going to be every bit insightful and fun!

Rajeev Masand in conversation with Rani Mukherjee

niche for themselves as actors representing the Indian voice world over, joining them is producer TabrezNoorani who’s responsible for projects that showcase a flavour of India to the global film watching populace. Who better than film critic par excellence Rajeev Masand to helm a discussion on how the East meets West with these shining stalwarts of the fraternity. This is a ticketed event.

Panelists are Freida Pinto, Ali Fazal, TabrezNoorani and the moderator is Rajeev Masand.Saturday, August 11, 05:00 PM, Deakin Edge, Fed Sq. Rajeev Masand in conversation with Raj kumar Hirani, Vicky Kaushal and Abhijat Joshi

Understanding the Indian filmmaking experience has never been more interesting than having a conversation with the reticent cinematic genius RajkumarHirani. In the company of Rajeev Masand, the genius filmmaker along with its talented writer friend AbhijatJoshi, and the latest heartthrob of tinsel town Vicky Kaushal will

Think of gold standards of acting and you’ll think of Rani Mukherjee! The effortlessness of her craft not only amazes her fellow actors but also makes her the subject of their envy. With path-breaking performances in films like Black, Yuva, Hey Ram and Mardaani, Rani has often broken the glass ceiling and forged a unique path for herself. With her recent smash-hit Hichki, Rani

proves once again that she is truly the reigning queen of Bollywood. Watch her in conversation with Rajeev Masand as they delve into her process, her choices and the future of Indian cinema.

Rajeev Masand in conversation with Ram Charan In Ram Charan, we get an exciting mix of raw talent, insurmountable energy and effortless style. He is one of the few actors in Indian cinema who can lay claim to the adage “Style meets Substance”. Hailing

from a family of superstars, Ram Charan has carved a unique place for himself in the cinematic universe of Tollywood and beyond.

His recent super-hit ‘Rangasthalam’ introduced us to the layered craftsman in him and through this conversation we hope to understand the process, the discipline and the aspirations of such an artist par excellence.

Westpac IFFM Awards Night on Sunday, August 12, 6:30 PM @ Palais Theatre, St. Kilda A star-packed celebration, a plethora of talent and unlimited entertainment will be the jam at the WestpacIFFMAwardsNight 2018. Where deserving artists will have their efforts decorated with recognition for their valuable contribution to the world of Indian Cinema and beyond.

This starry night shall see IFFM 2018’s special guests along with the nominees and winners in attendance.

The event comes with some spectacular, headbobbing music from 'Sachin Jigar' and a solo stand-up comedy show by Saadiya Ali, both of which definitely keep you enthralled and in splits through the night.

With such a wide-ranging lineup, this event promises to be in service of talent, recognition and celebration of cinema from the Indian subcontinent.

Be a part of all the glitz and glamour on August 12 at the Palais Theatre. This is a

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ticketed event.

Closing NightWednesday, August 22, 7:00 PM @ HOYTS Melbourne Central As the curtains are drawn on yet another celebration of Indian cinema, the festival leaves you with Rohena Gera's 'Sir', a poignant tale of two individuals hailing from different Socioeconomic backgrounds. A film that throws light on the modern day complexities of the Indian class/caste system, one which defines the very functioning of the Indian society. Presented by filmmaker Rohena Gera and actor TillotamaShome, this film helps us look into the everyday Indian household and unearth the complexities of people dynamics that govern the household at large. With 'Sir' we leave you with a fitting finale that culminates into a Q&A with the makers of the film and with a great promise for more such special films in the year to follow. Until then, we hope you’ve basked in the glory of our cinematic offerings and hope to see you all return for yet another celebration of Indian cinema in 2019.

This is a ticketed event.

There are also six Q-A sessions with Simi Grewal; RajkumarHirani / Abhijaat Joshi and Vicky Kaushal: Sanju; Qaushiq Mukherjee: Garbage; Rima Das: Village Rockstars; Onir: KuchBheegeAlfaaz and Prakash Kunte: Cycle.

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Domestic violence prevents women realising their business dreams

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ELBOURNE, 10 July: Women who experience domestic violence are less likely to become entrepreneurs and escape the clutches of poverty, according to studies by Monash University.

Monash Business School’s Dr Abu Zafar Shahriar, in collaboration with Professor Dean Shepherd from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, are examining how microfinance – small loans to help less privileged people earn an income – can empower women to achieve their business goals.

loan with a follow-up survey 12-15 months later.

Out of these women, 156 (or 28%) reported experiencing some form of domestic violence by their husband. Furthermore, women who have experienced domestic violence in the past 12 months are six percentage points less likely to begin a new business venture with microfinance, compared to those

who did not.

Additionally, women are 19 percentage points more likely to believe that fear of business failure would restrain them from initiating a new venture. As the number of violent acts by a husband increases, so does their fear of business failure – increasing by 5.5 percentage points.

“Most women in developing

In addition to domestic violence, the barriers women entrepreneurs face in such communities include a lack of finance and education; increased domestic duties at the expense of business development; and operating in a volatile environment where many businesses fail to generate a sufficient income for owners.

“Entrepreneurial opportunities in low-income communities are limited to small-scale trading and vending activities, such as running small grocery stores, selling prepared foods, rearing livestock in the household farm and tailoring,” Dr Shahriar said.

“Being an entrepreneur requires a reasonably high sense of self-esteem.

Individuals who believe in their capabilities are likely to evaluate new business opportunities favourably because they believe they have the ability to overcome setbacks and failures. They associate these challenges with rewards, such as profit, recognition and psychological wellbeing.

“However, as women in developing countries face a number of entrepreneurial barriers and have low self-efficacy, they are likely to associate their business venture with failure, such as bankruptcy, disgrace and psychological stress.”

The study centres on the experiences of 583 women in Bangladesh who received small collateral-free loans to build their own business venture.

A survey was conducted prior to the www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

countries end up using their microfinance-loans for nonproductive purposes, such as general household expenditure.

Our research suggests that microfinance, in combination with relevant entrepreneurial training, is essential to empower women for future business careers,” Dr Shahriar said.

Source: AAP Medianet

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$ 17.9 m funding for 3,000 KG kids to learn non-English languages each year

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 20 June: Thousands of children will have the opportunity to learn another language while attending kindergarten, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.

To kick off this initiative, Minister for Early Childhood Education Jenny Mikakos today encouraged parents, teachers, service managers and those in kindergarten communities to join the conversation and attend upcoming information sessions on how to get involved.

These sessions are the next step in the $17.9 million

Early Childhood Language Program, the first statefunded language program ever to be rolled out in preschools.

Minister for Early Childhood Education Jenny Mikakos says, “We’re making sure more of our littlest Victorians reap the lifelong benefits of learning a language other than English – they’re going to be at the front of the pack.

Research tells us that learning a second language is hugely beneficial – it’s fun, it improves brain function and actually helps kids learn English better.”

The measure – funded through the Victorian Budget 2018/19 – is expected

to give about 3,000 children each year over the next four years the opportunity to learn a language other than English while attending kindergarten.

Three-hour weekly language sessions will be delivered in 120 kinders starting from 2019 and a further 10 services will become bilingual – where children will benefit from up to half their program being offered in another language.

“This Australian-first initiative is just another way we’re getting Victorian kids ready for kinder, ready for school and ready for life,” the Minister says.

Information sessions will run across a number of

locations in Victoria during the next two weeks and cover how the program will work, funding eligibility and the expression of interest process for those kindergartens wanting to apply.

Learning languages at kindergarten often result in children learning the language of their grandparents, as well as inspiring them to take an interest in other cultures.

It’s also shown to improve brain function and their English reading and writing skills.

Work is underway through the Labor Government’s landmark $202.1 million Education State Early

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We’re making sure more of our littlest Victorians reap the lifelong benefits of learning a language other than English – they’re going to be at the front of the pack.

Childhood Reform Plan to ensure kids are ready for kinder, ready for school and ready for life. The Victorian Budget 2018/19 invested a further $135.9 million toward realising our early childhood vision.

To register to attend the Early Childhood Language Program information sessions, go to: education. vic.gov.au/eclanguages.

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Dementia Australia launches Hindi, Nepalese and Punjabi language help sheets

By SAT News Desk

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MELBOURNE, 11 July: Dementia Australia has released a series of new dementia help sheets that have been translated into Hindi, Nepalese and Punjabi, to help increase awareness and improve support, care and knowledge of services, available for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, living with dementia.

Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe said the help sheets are among 43 translated help sheets on a variety of dementia topics that are available for free to download.

Australia is one of the most ethnically diverse nations, with recent data projections demonstrating that migrant communities are ageing at a significantly faster rate than the general

population. By 2020 it is projected that around 30 per cent of the population aged 65 years and above will be from CALD backgrounds, according to Fecca’s 2020 Vision for Older CALD Australians (2015).

“The release of these help sheets will assist people from non-English speaking backgrounds living with dementia, their carers, families and friends navigate complex conversations about dementia in their own languages, incorporating their different cultural customs, traditions and beliefs,” Ms McCabe said.

“Our website also provides access to information for clinical and allied health professionals, for when they are planning dementia screening or assessment of people from CALD backgrounds.

“These resources can be shared among individuals who speak Hindi, Nepalese and Punjabi, and will ensure

that people receive advice and support about dementia in their first language.

“I encourage people to utilise these free translated resources, they are available online at www.dementia.org. au/languages”.

For more information on culturally appropriate resources, the National Dementia Helpline 1800 100 500 can be accessed.

Dementia Australia is the national peak body and charity for people, of all ages, living with all forms of dementia, their families and carers. It provides advocacy, support services, education and information.

An estimated 425,000 people have dementia in Australia.

This number is projected to reach more than 1.1 million by 2056. Dementia Australia is the new voice of Alzheimer’s Australia.

Dementia Australia’s services are supported by the Australian Government.

Source: AAP Medianet.

ATO pops up in the community this tax time

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MELBOURNE, 10 July: This Tax Time the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is helping the community to get their tax right through pop-up shops and the Tax Help Program.

Announcing this year’s pop-up locations, Assistant Commissioner Kath Anderson said both services help thousands of people each year.

“Each service meets a different community need, with pop-ups making it easier for people to connect to the ATO online, while the Tax Help Program benefits those on low incomes with simple tax affairs, including those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged,” Ms Anderson said.

Pop-ups Building on the success of previous years, the ATO will host 35 popups in major shopping centres, community hubs and even a metro train

station.

Assistant Commissioner Kath Anderson said popups are a face-to-face service providing advice and on the spot demonstrations to help people gain confidence using the ATO’s digital products and services.

“Getting your tax right can be difficult sometimes. That’s why we’re getting out in the local community. We want everyone to feel confident using our online products and services, regardless of whether you use an agent or lodge your own return,” Ms Anderson said.

Ms Anderson said if you are planning to prepare your own return this year, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn about ATO’s online lodgement tool, myTax, and other online services to help you manage your tax and super affairs, including our myDeductions tool in the ATO app.

“MyTax is streamlined and personalised to your tax affairs, making it suitable for anyone who wants to lodge their own tax return. MyDeductions allows you to snap, save and store your individual income tax deductions in one convenient place. It is a great way to keep track of your expenses without having to worry about lost and faded receipts.”

But popups aren’t just about tax returns and deductions. Ms Anderson said that the ATO’s digital services also provide a variety of other benefits.

“When you visit, we will be able to show you how to use the range of online services and teach you how to do things like set up a myGov account, download the ATO app, find your lost super, lodge and revise activity statements and view your study and training support loan. And if you have already lodged, we can show you how to check the progress of your return.

Ms Anderson said a great feature of popups is that you don’t need an appointment.

“We deliberately set up our popups in places where you will see us as you go about your day.

Just drop in and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.”

Tax Help Now in its 30th year, the ATO’s Tax Help program is a free service to help people who earn less than $60,000 to lodge their tax returns.

This year around 800 ATO-trained and accredited volunteers will be at more than 600 locations across Australia, including local libraries, community centres and organisations across metropolitan, rural, and regional Australia.

Ms Anderson said the Tax Help service is a wonderful example of everyday Australians helping each other.

“Our volunteers help

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people from all walks of life, including those who’ve fallen on hard times and those in the community who are most vulnerable. The best bit is that it allows lowincome Australians to be confident that they are getting their tax right.

“We get such positive feedback from the community, our volunteers and centres.

Last year alone over 30,000 people were assisted, and over the past 30 years, the Tax Help service has helped more than one-and-a-half million Australians with their tax returns. That’s enough to fill the MCG fifteen times!”

Pop-ups will commence 2 July and end 22 September. Find your nearest pop-up shop at www.ato.gov.au/popup For more information on where to find your closest Tax Help site, visit our website www.ato.gov. au/taxhelp Source: AAP Medianet

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$ 5 million funding boost for Australia India Institute

By SAT News Desk

A

DELAIDE, 29 June: The Melbourne based Australia India Institute affiliated to the University of Melbourne has got a big boost with the Federal Government committing $5 million to it to drive closer collaboration between Australian and Indian educational institutions.

Australia’s Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham and Indian Minister of Human Resource Development, the Mr. Prakash Javadekar announced the funding boost at the Australia India Education Council meeting in Adelaide today.

“Australia and India share many values and aspirations, as well as a fundamental commitment to education,” Minister Birmingham said.

“This Institute will be pivotal in building closer cooperation between institutions both here and in India, boosting the mobility of Indian and Australian students and further supporting shared research priorities.

“During my visit to India last year I saw

firsthand a number of the close partnerships already underway and the importance of India as a key education partner.

“Our meetings today and the continued work of the Australia India Institute will help further enhance the footprint of Australian universities and vocational education providers in the booming Indian market.”

Minister Birmingham said Australia was uniquely positioned to help India to realise its education aspirations and to provide support and training to develop their skilled workforce.

“Australia and India’s cooperation covers research, international education, academic mobility, skills and

training and partnerships with industry,” Minister Birmingham said.

“With more than 8000 co-authored academic publications since 2013, more than 400 research partnerships already in place, and more than 70 000 Indian students currently studying in Australia, the partnership between Australian and India

will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Minister Javadekar and Minister Birmingham also witnessed the signing of a number of new partnerships between Australian and Indian educational institutions, including an agreement between Western Sydney University and India’s Centurion University, a joint PhD agreement between Curtin University and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, and a Memorandum of Understanding between Deakin University and the Central University of Jammu.

It’s expected further agreements will be signed in the coming weeks, including a Letter of Intent on solar cooperation between the University of New South Wales and The Energy Resources Institute of India.

The Australia India Institute was established in 2008 and is hosted at the University of Melbourne.

The Institute’s mandate is to build knowledge about India among Australian government, business and the wider Australian community.

Indian man deported from Perth Airport over ‘child exploitation material’ found in mobile phones

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 29 June: A 30-yearold Indian national who arrived at Perth Airport (22 June, 2018) was removed from Australia after ‘child exploitation material’ was located in a mobile phone.

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers stopped the man for a baggage examination after he arrived on board a flight from Singapore holding a Temporary Skilled Graduate visa.

“During the examination of three mobile phones officers found objectionable material in one in relation to child exploitation. Officers seized the phone and cancelled his visa, “ says an Australian Border Force media release.

The man was detained and transferred to the Perth Immigration Detention Centre until his removal from Australia on Monday, 25 June.

Acting ABF Regional Commander for Western Australia, Mark Wilson said the man’s removal reflected the ABF’s absolute commitment to preventing the importation of this abhorrent material.

“Visitors to Australia engaging in this behaviour risk forfeiting their right to be here,” Acting Commander Wilson said.

“We also work closely with our law enforcement partners both here and abroad to share information relating to these persons to ensure we are protecting not only Australian children, but potential victims offshore.” www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

During the examination of three mobile phones officers found objectionable material in one in relation to child exploitation.

Officers seized the phone and cancelled his visa.

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Big support for Nepal-Australia Business Forum 2018

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 30 June: The Nepal Embassy and the Consulate General of Nepal organised a day-long

successfulNepal-Australia Business Forum 2018 at the Mantra Bell City Hotel today.

The largely attended event explored trade and investment opportunities between the two countries. Afternoon

and evening sessions were attended by many VIPs and community leaders.

Earlier in the day the forum was inaugurated by the Victorian Multicultural Minister Robin Scott by

lighting the traditional lamp.

Lamps were also lighted in the evening by Bruce Atkinson, Craig Ondarachie, Peter Khalil, Frank McGuire, Felicia Maraiani among others.

They also addressed those

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gathered.

Traditional dances were also performed amidst the debate and discussion to enhance business opportunities between Nepal and Australia.

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Ek Shaam Suron Ke Naam: Mesmerising evening

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 17 June: Ek Shaam Suron Ke Naam was a successful event and everyone in the audience had only one thing to say - great evening.

This event was successful because of thehard work and passion for music from the team members Neha Sinha, Aman Sinha, Varsha Dhoke, Sandeep Chaudhary, Atmaj Patel, Neeraj Sharma, Deepesh Valob, Arun Kumar Sharma Shubhi Pande, Jay Nagar, Suneel Chalisgaonkar and Kedar Gokhale.

Support from Radio Masti, 3 ZZZ, FOTCF and all volunteers helped make the event successful.

There were 17 solo songs and five duets from Neha.

The music was excellent and songs mesmerising.

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This decrease in real terms has seen many experienced interpreters leave the sector due to concerns about jobsecurity,

workforce in Victoria, the Andrews Government is reforming its procurement of language services.The changes ensure better rates are paid to interpreters, and that the right incentives are in place to keep themperforming their crucial role in the delivery of government services.

“With Victoria’s increasing cultural diversity, interpreters have never been more important. It is essential that we ensure a professional, high-quality language services industry to meet the needs of Victorians,” the Minister says.

From the 1 July, minimum rates of remuneration will be guaranteed for all contractor and casually employedinterpreters who provide services to the Victorian Government.

The reforms are the result of an extensive consultation with interpreters and other industry stakeholders andindependent evidencebased reviews.

A new Victorian Language Services Quality Committee will be established to advise the Government on industrysustainability and quality issues into the future.

Victoria interpreters to be paid better

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 25 June: Victorians from linguistically diverse backgrounds will soon have better access to health, education and other critical services with the boost of funding for interpreter services from the Andrews Labor Government.

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Robin Scott announced $21.8 million over four years and $8.4 million per yearongoing to improve the pay and working conditions of contractor and casually employed interpreters.

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Robin Scott says, “All Victorians have a right to access government services, regardless of their English language skills. Interpreters are vital to enabling this access.”

The boost is the largest single funding increase for interpreter services in Victoria's history.

Interpreters enable linguistically diverse communities to better access health, education and other criticalservices, also facilitating better communications between

professionals at service providers and their clients, yetinterpreter remuneration has been static for over 15 years.

remuneration and working conditions.

To redress this decline, and support a high quality and professional interpreter

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India after 4 years of Modi: Stagnant job growth, concern over lynching’s, no engagement with the fourth estate

By SAT News Desk

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ELBOURNE, 27 June: The four years of the Modi government came under critical scrutiny by four prominent scholars (Dr. Pradeep Taneja, University of Melbourne, Dr. Alex Davis, La Trobe University, Dr. Anand Kulkarni, RMIT and Dr. Bob Smith, RMIT.) at an event organised by the Australia India Institute (AII) at the University of Melbourne today.

Short presentations on Modi’s interaction with China, Use of Yoga as soft diplomacy, macro/ micro economics and management formed part of the lively presentations which generated many queries during the Q-A

session.

Some of the points emerged were – stagnant jobs growth with the market full of qualified people, no ranked position in 200 top institutions, politics overshadowing policies, bold projects with mixed results, PM not valuing public institutions, lack of official reaction to the numerous lynching’s of members of the Muslim minority in the name of the cow, and the PM not engaging with the fourth estate.

So, what happens in 2019? The overall view was Modi may get a second term despite the recent opposition victories in by-elections as an opposition realignment could derail over leadership conflicts. www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

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asia times LETTER FROM SYDNEY southSouth 21 Asia Times

Gardish… tells a tragic tale of Guru Dutt and Geeta Dutt’s life

By Ashok Kumar,

S

ydney, July 15, 2018: We have seen several love stories on the screen and even love stories of married couples (Saathi) but never the love story of a dead couple.

“Gardish Mein Taare” shown in Sydney on 14 July at the Sir John Clancy Auditorium, UNSW is a play based on the turbulent life and times of noted film maker Guru Dutt and his playback singer wife GeetaDutt.

“GardishmeinTaare” as name suggests Guru Dutt and Geeta could not have a fairy tale love story and marriage due respective ego and obsessions. The play begins with the death of Dev Dutt Bose and rest of the story is narrated by BhavnaDutt Bose (Guru Dutt and GeetaDutt) played here by noted actors Arif Zakaria of ‘Bombay Talkies and Darmiyaan fame’ and Sonali Kulkarni, of ‘DilChahta Hai’ fame.

The rest of the story is narrated through ‘flash backs’ by the singer while being interrogated for her husband’s death. Film directors are known for their varying moods and styles while working. So, why not here? That was the essence of the story. Varying moods of Vasanth Kumar

Shivashankar Padukone, popularly known as Guru Dutt and Dev Dutt in the play reflected the upheaval in their lives.

Despite their skirmishes, Geeta also tells the investigating officer about her intense love for Dutt , ” hum ladte hain to janwar

ki tarha aur pyaar bhi karte hain janwaron ki tarha.” (We fight like animals but also love like animals.)

The MC stated that the play would leave an impression and surely it did but few in the audience were left disappointed as they found a very weak

topic. It was just an episode in their life that proved to be disastrous. As is known, Geeta too died soon and their two sons, Tarun and Arun, followed their parents to heaven. The only surviving persons are their daughter Nina and Arun’s two daughters.

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Coming back to the play, set in blue background reflects the tragic tale of the talented couple and what to expect from the director SaifHyder Hassan.

There was a brief indication of involvement of Afsana (Waheeda?) with Dutt.

There was also a mention of another person in the life of Geeta thereby completing the adultery angle though there was a phone call informing Dutt that his wife has left the house with children. To lighten the mood, Dutt mimics Yusuf sahib in a scene while waiting for him on the sets.

Back home the pictures of Guru Dutt and Geeta tell a different tale. That of a happy and loving couple far away from Gardish Mein Taare.

The background props are effectively used by Hassan depicting the times of 50s and a glimpse into the then films. Arif who is not new to Sydney (Bombay Talkies) performed superbly as Guru Dutt and Sonali looked fresh and mature while giving a magnificent performance as Geeta.

Congratulations to Manju Mittal for bringing a superb show to Sydney and her love for the Mumbai film industry is growing. She understands the mood of the audience in Sydney very well.

South Asia Times south asia 22 South Asia Timestimes

south asia Savagery of rapes of minors

By Geetika Dang, Vani S. Kulkarni and RaghavGaiha*

n

EW DELHI, Jun 22 2018 (IPS) - Rapes of minors surged from 16 per day in 2001 to 46 per day in 2016. As if this was not horrendous enough, their savagery adds to it.

In 2016, 43.3% of the total female rape victims were minors. Around 13% of the minor female victims were of age 11 and below.

The deceased victim in the Kathua rape case from a nomadic Muslim community was barely eight years old. Her crumpled body was found in a bloodsmeared dress in January, 2018. A group of Hindu men lured her into a forest, kidnapped her, drugged her, locked her in a Hindu temple, gang-raped her and then strangled her.

In another depraved and cruel assault, an eight-month-old baby girl was raped in New Delhi in January, 2018, by her 28-year-old cousin.

As reported, the baby was on life support as her internal organs were damaged during the assault. In yet another case in Hisar’sUklana town in December 2017, a 6-year old Dalit girl was brutally raped and murdered. The post-mortem revealed that the murderer had inserted a wooden stick in her body.

Her body parts were badly brutalized, bore multiple injuries and scratch marks, and blood was spilt all over her body.

In April 2018, a fourmonth-old baby was raped and murdered in the historic Rajwada area in Madhya Pradesh. The infant’s body was found in the basement area of the heritage Shiv Vilas Palace, with blood smears on the stairs telling a barbaric tale. The ravaged body was carried away in a bundle. Many more gruesome cases could be cited but are omitted as they differ in location but not in the brutality. At the risk of overstating it, the surge in the frequency of rapes of minors has been inextricably linked to their

brutality in recent years.

Why bestial masculinity has risen in recent years is unclear.

Our analysis with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data and from other sources over 2001-16 yields useful insights into changes in incidence of rapes of minors (per lakh minors) across different states and over time.

Rapes of minors spiked between 2010-14, dropped sharply in 2015, and then spiked again in 2016. Surprisingly, after enactment of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) in 2012, the incidence of rapes of minors surged.

It covers crimes such as child rape, sexual assault and harassment and using children for pornography.

However, NCRB began collecting data under POCSO in 2014. This may be partly linked to the spike in 2014.

There are some striking variations across the states (including Delhi as a sole union territory because of its infamous characterisation as the ‘rape capital’ of India). In 2001, the top three states (with lowest incidence of rapes of minors per 1,000,00 minors) were West Bengal (0.03), Jharkhand (0.12) and Arunachal Pradesh (0.19). In 2016, the top two states changed, with Bihar as the best (0.33), followed

by Jammu and Kashmir (0.35) and Jharkhand (1.24) slipping from the second to the third best. So not just the states changed but the incidence was much higher among them.

In 2001, the three worst states/union territory were Delhi (4.44), followed by Chattisgarh (4.16) and Madhya Pradesh (3.24). In 2016, the three worst were Delhi (8.32), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (7.97) and Chattisgargh (7.58).

Thus, while two out of the three worst states remained unchanged, the incidence of rapes rose.

At the regional level, the central was the worst in 2001 (33.53% of total rapes of minors), followed by a considerably lower share

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n 2016, 43.3% of the total female rape victims were minors. Around 13% of the minor female victims were of age 11 and below.

of the northern (19.01), and a slightly lower share of the southern (16.90%).

In 2016, the central contributed the largest share (33.62%), followed by the southern (18.41 %), overtaking the northern region (16.10 %).

Using the NCRB and other data sets for the period 2001-16, we conducted an econometric panel analysis of rapes of minors during 2001-16, designed to isolate the contribution of each of the several factors associated with the surge in rapes of minors.

Specifically, the panel model allows for individual state heterogeneity The larger the pool of minor girls (<17 years relative to men), the higher is the incidence of rapes of minors (hereafter just rapes). The greater

the affluence of a state (measured in terms of state per capita income), the lower is the incidence of rape. The effect, however, is small. The lower the ratio of rural to urban population, the lower is the incidence of rapes, implying higher incidence in the latter.

Congress and its coalition- ruled states lowered the rapes while President- ruled states saw a rise, presumably because the latter resulted from a breakdown of law and order. There are two surprising findings. One is that after the enactment of POCSO in 2012, the rapes increased. This is contrary to the spirit and intent of POCSO which was enacted as part of an initiative to make anti-rape laws more stringent. As convictions

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for rapes of minors are not available for the entire period of our analysis, we have used convictions for rapes as a proxy. This has a positive effect on rapes albeit small.

This is not surprising as in 2016, out of 64,138 cases of child rapes for trials in courts, trials were completed only in 6626 cases and 57,454 (89.6%) cases are still pending.

Of the cases in which trials were completed, offenders were convicted only in 28.2% of the cases.

The problem is not just underreporting of rapes of minors for familiar reasons such as incest and fear of retaliation but also the incompetence and corruption of the police and judicial systems. So the recent legislation of capital punishment for rapists of girls below 12 years is a mere distraction from the imperative of systemic reforms. Worse, the capital punishment could add to the butchery of rapes of minors. *Geetika Dang is an independent researcher; Vani S. Kulkarni is lecturer in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, USA; and RaghavGaiha is (Hon.) professorial research fellow, Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, England, and Visiting Scholar, Population Studies Centre, University of Pnnsylvania, USA).

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Pakistan’s financial crisis puts Belt and Road on the spot

By Dr James M Dorsey

i

ncreased Pakistani dependence on China to help it avert resorting to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to avoid a financial and economic crisis spotlights fears that the terms of Chinese investment in massive Belt and Roadrelated projects would not pass international muster.

Concerns that China’s US$ 50 billion plus investment in Pakistani infrastructure and energy, the Belt and Road’s crown jewel dubbed the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), potentially amounts to a debt trap, compound suggestions that Pakistan increasingly will have no choice but to toe Beijing’s line.

The concerns are reinforced by the vision spelled out in a draft plan for CPEC. The plan envisioned a dominant Chinese role In Pakistan’s economy as well as the creation of a Chinese style surveillance state and significant Chinese influence in Pakistani influence.

Pakistani officials, concerned that Chinese loans offer a band-aid rather than a structural solution, have cautioned China, in a bid to keep the People’s Republic committed to bailing them out, that CPEC projects would be at risk if their country was forced to seek help from the IMF. The officials said that

they would have to disclose the terms of CPEC projects if they are forced to revert to the IMF and that this could lead to projects being cancelled.

“Once the IMF looks at CPEC, they are certain to ask if Pakistan can afford such a large expenditure given our present economic outlook,” the Financial Times quoted a Pakistani official as saying.

China has so far been willing to bail Pakistan out with Chinese state-owned bank giving the South Asian country some $5 billion in loans in the last 12 months in addition to a US$1.5 billion trade facility.

Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves plunged to US$9.66 billion last month from US$16.4 billion in May 2017.

Pakistani efforts to avert a crisis could not come at a more sensitive moment with elections scheduled for July 25. Political tension in the country were heightened this week by the sentencing to prison on corruption charges of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam, as well as the likely participation of a large number of Islamic militants in the polls.

To make things worse, China last month did not try to shield Pakistan from being grey-listed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international anti-money laundering and terrorism watchdog. that threatens to

impair the country’s access to international financial markets.

Pakistan is struggling to avoid being blacklisted by the group.

Pakistani concern about disclosing terms of CPEC projects, even if it may involve a degree of opportunistic hyperbole, reinforces widespread worries in the country itself as well as in the international community that Chinese-funded Belt and Road projects put recipients at risk of walking into a debt trap and losing control of some of their key assets.

Malaysia this week suspended China-backed projects worth more than US$20 billion on the grounds that many made no financial sense. The projects included a railway and two pipelines.

China has written off an undisclosed amount of Tajik debt in exchange for ceding control of some 1,158 square kilometres of disputed territory close to the Central Asian nation’s border with the troubled north-western Chinese province of Xinjiang.

Sri Lanka, despite public protests, was forced to give China a major stake in its port of Hambantota.

Pakistan and Nepal withdrew last November from two dam-building deals.

The withdrawal coincided with mounting questions in Pakistan about what some saw as a neo-colonial effort to extract the country’s resources.

A report published in March by the Washingtonbased Center for Global Development warned that 23 of the 68 countries benefitting from Belt and Road investments were “significantly or highly vulnerable to debt distress.”

The centre said eight of the 23 countries – Pakistan, Tajikistan, Djibouti, Kyrgyzstan, Laos. the Maldives, Mongolia, and Montenegro, Pakistan, and Tajikistan – were particularly at risk.

Djibouti already owes 82 percent of its foreign debt to China while China is expected to account for 71% of Kyrgyz debt as Belt and Road-related projects are implemented.

“There is…concern that debt problems will create an unfavourable degree of dependency on China as a creditor. Increasing debt, and China’s role in managing bilateral debt problems, has already exacerbated internal and bilateral tensions in some BRI (Belt and Road initiative) countries,” the report said.

With analysts predicting that China will ultimately be unable to stabilize Pakistan financially, Pakistan is ultimately likely to have to revert to the IMF in a move that could seriously impact the Belt and Road initiative, widely perceived as an infrastructure driven effort to cement Chinese economic and geopolitical influence across a swath

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of land that stretches from South-eastern Europe and the Atlantic coast of Africa to the People’s Republic.

Analysts estimate that Pakistan this year needs US$ 25-28 billion to service its debt and ensure investor confidence in its ability to put its financial house in order. An IMF technical assistance team this week concluded a week-long visit to Pakistan.

Said one analyst: “Ultimately, the IMF is Pakistan’s only option. If an IMF-imposed regime has consequences for BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) projects, it could impact perceptions of the terms China imposes.”

Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, codirector of the University of Würzburg’s Institute for Fan Culture, and co-host of the New Books in Middle Eastern Studies podcast. James is the author of The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer blog, a book with the same title as well as Comparative Political Transitions between Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, co-authored with Dr. Teresita Cruz-Del Rosario, Shifting Sands, Essays on Sports and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa, and the forthcoming China and the Middle East: Venturing into the Maelstrom.

Source: Counter Currents, 7 July 2018.

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Delhi’s 30th Mango Festival a refreshing delight

By Rajeev Sharma

n

EW DELHI, 8 July: The 30th Mango Festival once again brought together thousands of people and their love for mangoes.

The three-day festival at the DilliHaat, Janakpuriwas a refreshing delight for people who gathered to see more than 500 varieties of mangoes collected from the Northern parts of India.

The festival was inaugurated by Mr. Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, Delhi in the presence of Dr.Dilraj Kaur, Secretary Tourism, Delhi; Mr.Shurbir Singh, Managing Director & CEO, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Corporation Ltd. (DTTDC) and Mr. C.M. Arvind, General Manager, Delhi Tourism.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Sisodia said, “Delhi Government has been organizing this festival for

the past 30 years and it is a great way to know more about the King of FruitsMangoes. The enthusiasm

of people towards the exhibition as well as the competitions showcases their love for this fruit. I am

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sure the next two days will be equally engaging with other activities and cultural programmes.”

As summers and mangoes go hand in hand, the Mango Festival was a great way to make Delhi’s swelter summers lusciously endurable. In the course of time, the festival has become one of the major and the most awaited cultural events of Delhi, drawing thousands of visitors every year. Having shifted venues a couple of times, from Talkatora Stadium, Ashoka Hotel, PragatiMaidan to DilliHaat, Pitampura, the festival has been a favourite among the people.

The main attraction of the exhibition was garnered by two variety of mangoes named, 'Kejri' and 'Sisodia'.

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The Mango Festival aimed to showcase the specialties of mangoes from different states of India. A total number of 13 farmers along with nine government horticulture departments and agriculture institutes participated in the event.

The farmers from across the country including Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh came together to display traditional, hybrid and unique varieties of Mangoes. The various types of mangoes on display include Langra, Chausa, Amrapali, Rataul, Hussainara, Ramkela, Kesar, Fazri, Mallika among other assorted varieties.

The Mango Festival provided a plethora of delights for adults and children alike apart from the opportunity to get acquainted with myriad varieties of mangoes that have marked a journey all the way from the orchards of Northern India to the festival. There was sale of fresh mangoes, mango quiz and slogan writing contest, magic shows and cultural programs among other activities. Bands Like Rock n Raag, Tafri, Kitaab, Swarism, Urooj, Metrocity, Sohail Live and Peprico enchanted the crowds with their soulful performances. Day one was filled with competitions ‘Sau DaamKitnabhiKhaiAam’ among other performances

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by bands like Urooj, Gigveda, The Project Raag and Sahitya Kala Parishad.

Jatinder Batra, from Punjab at the event for the first time said, “It is unbelievable to see so many varieties of mangoes. It is surely favourite among everyone. This year’s Mango festival is a must-visit fair, as visitors will be able to witness various varieties of mangoes under one roof,” he said.

Similarly, Tonje was visiting the festival with her family from Norway.

She stated, “It is a lovely festival organized by the government. We enjoyed the mango display while gaining more knowledge about the fruit. The cultural activities were equally engaging and we thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Awards to the winning participants under various categories were given by Mr. C. Arvind, General Manager, Delhi Tourism at the prize distribution ceremony on the last day.

The participants of the exhibition showcasing different varieties of mangoes at the festival were also awarded among winners of various competitions held during the festival.

The festival drew an estimated 30,000 people from all parts of the city and outside.

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FOCUS

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Declining birth rates not exclusive to wealthy nations

By Ranjit Devraj

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EW DELHI, Jul 2 2018 (IPS) Countries do not have to be economically prosperous to move from a situation of high birth and death rates to low fertility and mortality rates.

Education, social security, environments conducive to economic development and good value systems are what promote this, as evidenced by the recorded experiences of Asian countries as far apart as Japan and India.

According to Dr. Osamu Kusumoto, SecretaryGeneral of the Asian Population Development Association, the economy and demographic transition or DT are indirectly rather than directly correlated.

Demographic transition is the theory that holds that countries move from a situation of high birth and death rates to low fertility and low mortality rates as they industrialise. However, in more recent times, the theory has been hit by contradictions and there are debates over whether industrialisation leads to declining population or whether lower populations lead to industrialisation and higher incomes.

Thus, according to Kusumoto, in high-income oil-producing countries, DT is unlikely to advance unless the countries also implement modern economic systems.

There are also debates around such inter-related DT issues as higher female incomes, old-age security and the demand for human capital with experiences differing across countries and regions.

As a country transitions, the cost of education rises creating relative poverty and promoting fertility transition, or a lowered birth rate, says Kusumoto.

“At the same time the spread of healthcare and public health services promote mortality transition or lowered death rates. But with real prosperity there is potential for fertility to rise again.”

Kusumoto cites the example of Japan where, even with high per-capita incomes, people live in relative poverty and find unaffordable the high cost of educating children. “It is possible to say that fertility declines, even when social security systems are in place and old-age pensions are provided for, because

people will make the rational choice of avoiding the cost of having children through marriage and childbirth.”

Japan’s birth rate is 1.44 per woman, which has caused the population to decline by one million in the last five years.

What people in Japan fail to realise, adds Kusumoto, is that without children the social security system becomes unsustainable and cannot support them in old age.

Meanwhile India, a developing country that is home to the world’s secondlargest population, the total fertility rate has shown a steady decline from 3.6 per woman in 1991 to 2.4 per woman by 2011. Over that 20-year period per capita incomes rose from 1,221 dollars to 3,755 dollars, going by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) figures.

During the same period the female literacy rate increased from 39 percent to 65 percent. Also the composite human development index score of the UNDP, which combines education, health and income, rose from 0.428 in 1990 to 0.609 in 2014.

Related IPS Articles To Have Children or Not: The Importance of Finding a Balance A closer look at the statistics at the district levels shows curious results such as that in eight Indian states, where there was a

drop in the use of modern contraceptive methods, fertility had decreased, according to studies by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) in Mumbai.

Professor Sanjay Kumar Mohanty at the IIPS says that disaggregated analyses at the district level are important since the districts are the focus of planning and programme implementation in India, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Such analyses may throw light on the unexplained decrease in fertility levels.”

According to an IIPS study published in 2016, while most of India’s 640 districts experience substantial declines over the 1991-2011 period, no clear relationship between initial levels and subsequent changes was discernible.

In the Indian experience, says Mohanty, female education and literacy have been associated with the use of modern contraceptives, higher age at marriage and birth spacing.

According to Kusumoto, in order to achieve the SDGs, what is needed is mortality transition as well as fertility transition. “We need to design a system where young people can have children if they wish to do so.”

Advances in medicine and public health and the availability of healthcare services will inevitably lead to mortality transition, says Kusumoto. “But unless there

is also fertility transition, the population will continue to increase beyond the Earth’s carrying capacity.”

While fertility control was successfully promoted using healthcare-based family planning and services, as in the case of India, from the 1960s onwards Western Europe and more recently East Asia began to see fertility rates falling below mortality rates in a “second demographic transition,” Kusumoto says, adding that research is still lacking on why exactly low fertility occurs.

A notable example of the unpredictability showed up in the rapid DT in China’s Sichuan province during a study carried out in the 1980s by Toshio Kuroda, a winner of the U.N. Population Award. Kuroda noticed that DT happened despite the province’s low gross national product, making it an exceptional case of the economic DT theory.

While there is a correlation between the economy and DT there are clear cases where it is not the economy but changes in people’s norms and values that bring about positive transition.

The exceptional changes that took place in the former Soviet countries may be attributed to a shift from communism to a market economy, which people accepted as rational. A World Bank report shows that Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan all had

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At the same time the spread of healthcare and public health services promote mortality transition or lowered death rates. But, with real prosperity there is potential for fertility to rise again. birth rates of 6 children per woman in 1950-55, but this declined by almost half by 2000. It was a decline also experienced by other former Soviet countries that previously had high birth rates. All former Soviet countries also showed increased life expectancy.

In the end, says Kusumoto, what is important is policies that promote “appropriate fertility transition” and are aimed at building a society in which “human dignity is maintained as envisioned in the SDGs.”

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finance

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Risks in Cancelling Risk Insurance

BY Balki Balakrishnan

i

n the previous articles in this newspaper we learned the importance of personal risk insurance covers such as Life & Terminal Illness, Total and Permanent Disability (TPD), Trauma and Income Protection covers.

Your Financial Advisor had advised you about the types of covers appropriate for you and your family, explained the methodology behind the recommended cover amounts, the features, the premiums, affordability and most importantly the financial outcomes when you make a claim. After lots of discussions and deliberations you accepted those recommendations and you and your family are insured now. That was all quite a while ago and the reasons that convinced you in taking insurance have faded from your memory. You are thinking now of cancelling your personal risk insurance!

There are two types of cancellations you should be mindful of. The first one is where your existing covers are totally replaced by another cover. The implementation plan is to cancel the old policies once the new covers are in place. . Makes sense, to ensure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lose your existing insurance if the new policy is application is declined. What you should also be careful of is that the old policies should be cancelled very immediately after the new policies are in force. This is because the new insurer may disallow a new claim when the old policies are still in force and you may be forced to make the claims with the old insurer. This may not be good for you because the old

policy terms and conditions may be inferior to the new policy framework. In almost all the cases, it certainly will be because the very idea of replacing the old policy with the new one is to mitigate the disadvantages inherent in the old policies.

The second type of cancellation is where you decide to cancel. People cancel the covers for many reasons. You may decide that a particular insurance is not appropriate for your needs anymore. Always consult your Financial Advisor before deciding. It is important that you also do a health check before cancelling. This health check may uncover any significant health issue you may have which might lead you re-think your decision to cancel. This approach applies to when you want to reduce the cover amounts as well.

People also may be tempted to cancel insurance policies or reduce the cover amounts because of temporary

cash flow issues. This decision if pursued could be a huge mistake with dire consequences for them and their families. You should critically look at the premium you are paying and weight it up against the terrible financial impact of this decision.

People are of the opinion that they can reinstate their insure covers once their financial situation improves.

There is a massive risk in this thinking. It may be impossible to replace covers as you get older. Even if you secure the covers the premium would most likely to be substantially higher. Moreover, any serious medical condition diagnosed from the day the policy was cancelled to the date of reinstatement will be excluded by the insurer.

Or simply the insurers may decline to insure you or they may stipulate exclusions and/or may charge higher premiums (loadings).

Eventually you and your family will be put in a financially risky situation.

So what can you do to get out of this sticky situation?

Following are a few tips on how to improve the cash flow.

Budgeting: There are budget planners in public domain. Get one of these and list all your expenses and classify them in to needs, wants and aspirations.

Your insurance premium goes under basic needs. Analyze critically the expenses under wants and aspirations and find out how much you can reduce them. Do you really need that streaming subscription?

Continuing with this budget plan, tracking the expenses periodically and controlling them is a great way to create cash flow Other insurances: You could consider whether you need comprehensive insurance for your motor vehicle(s) or whether it is necessary to include the jewelry, items you may not replace etc. in your Home & Contents insurance. Do you really need the insurance you are paying on add-on covers? Have you compared the premiums with other product providers recently?

Debt consolidation: Renegotiate your terms on your loans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; home loan, investment loans, car loans etc. Your lenders will accommodate you and be willing to settle for lower repayments. Take advice from your Financial Advisor to ascertain the best way to consolidate your debt in such a way that you end up paying less thus improving the cash flow.

Finance Broker will assist you in securing the best rates and features and implementing the plan.

Savings & Investment plan: You may consider temporarily reducing the savings you are making for that holiday, upgrade of your car, or upgrades to your dwelling etc. Also consider reducing the regular investment payments you are making. You can also look at reducing the amount you salary sacrifice temporarily. This may be good time to review the performance of your investment portfolio and get rid of non-performing investments.

Premium type: If you have started on Level premium type recently, you could think of switching to Stepped premium.

The premiums are lower with Stepped premium type in the initial stages and increases as you become older. You should work out the trade-off before adopting this strategy.

Insurance is not an expense.

It is about the financial security for you and your family.

Therefore, insurance should be accorded the same importance attached to food, clothes and shelter. If you make that paradigm shift in your mind and give insurance the importance it deserves you will always find the money to pay the premium.

The best way to deal with the financial situation is to consult a Financial Advisor.

An adviser will inspect your financial situation objectively after considering the short and long term goals and guide you in making the right decision.

Be wise, Be Prepared, Be Safe!

Opes Financial Solutions Pty Ltd trading as Opes Financial Planning ACN618 122 795 is an Authorised Representative of Merit Wealth Pty Ltd AFSL 409361.

Balki Balakrishnan

Director | Financial Advisor Authorised Representative Number: 409415 Merit Wealth Pty Ltd. AFSL No: 409361 M: 0419 506 560

This article contains information that is general in nature. It does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. You need to consider your financial situation and needs before making any decisions based on this information. Please contact us at 0419 506 560 if you want more information or need to review your insurance covers.

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The unconsummated marriage

By Rashid Sultan

i

t had to have happened. It doesn’t matter that it took three years to reach the divorce. The BJP and PDP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) is no more. One fine morning the BJP announces from Delhi that it has withdrawn support to the coalition government, and Mehbooba Mufti, the Chief Minister, learns this news from the media. No formal or informal word from the BJP to the Chief Minister prior to the declaration. If this is not hubris then what is it? The power-drunk party has probably forgotten that hubris,sooner or later,always invites,nemesis or retribution. Let’s wait for the verdict in the present scenario.

The partnership began when the PDP secured 28 seats from the Valley and the BJP got 25, all from Jammu, in the last election. This was a grave signal that polarisation had culminated to its perfection. Mufti Sayeed, Mehbooba’s father took a daring step in forming coalition with BJP, though, admitting that it was a “union between north and south poles”. He, probably, had two issues before him: to stop polarisation of Hindus and Muslims in the state and keeping hopes of munificence from the Central government, to develop the state which has remained one of the poorest in the country. Both goals, as predicted by experts,

remained illusory.

Mehbooba took a long time, after her father’s death, to follow on his footsteps, with all accompanying risks and dangers. Have you ever heard of someone, riding a tiger, and remaining unscathedat the end of the journey?

At the time of entering into the coalition, apart from a common minimum program, the PDP’s demands were that the central government would not tweak Section 370, that a dialogue would ensue between the government and the extremists (advocating separation) and with Pakistan for a permanent solution. But, notalks, no dialogue with either.As a result, this inertia has brought the state to the crossroads of anarchy.

Interestingly, at the time of writing this piece, the state assembly is still in suspended animation and not dissolved.Why? We have just been told that 3 MLAs of the PDP are inclined to revolt against Mehbooba and ready to join the BJP. And thus, dear reader, the saga of horse trading commences. Will it be a Governor’s rule directed by the BJP- ruled centre until the next general election?

Since the UN mandated ceasefire in 1947 the Kashmir Valley has not had a period of peace due both to the Pakistani militant activities across the LOC (Line of Control) and local populace’s

anger against the central government-appointed lemmings to rule the state.

No government has been able to create trust of the Kashmiri population.

History has also taught us that rule of the unelected bureaucratsalways ends in more alienation and greater militancy.

Demonstrations, strikes and bandhs, whichhad previously beenstaged by young and middleaged people are, now, being frontedby stonethrowing teenagers with deadly results and remind you ofthe Palestinian intifada. The two most recent provocations were when two state Hindu BJP ministers marched in support of the accused rapist and murderer of a Muslim minor girl in Kathua (it has to be a first in international politics) and the incidence when Major Gogoi drove and tied a local protestor on to the front of his jeep as a shield to protect himself. No action taken! Interestingly the same major was caught from a hotel with a minor girl a little later. Nemesis?

Despite pouring billions of dollars in Kashmir since 1947, the state remains one of the poorest;unemployment is one of the worst in the country. The tourist numbers have come down from 11 lakh in 2013 to 4 lakh in 2016. Kashmiri students when they go out to study in other parts of the country (there are not enough number of universities in Kashmir) are

ridiculed and abused, just like African students. The list of their grievances is growing longer and longer.

Let’s take a look at some of the statistics released by the Central government on Kashmir from 1990 to 2017 (mind you, these are official figures).

Total fatalities in those 27 years saw 41,000 dead: 14,000 civilians; 5000 security personnel; 22,000 militants, meaning 4 deaths per day. There were 69,820 militancy-related incidents in that time, meaning seven per day.

By the way, these incidents are on the rise since 2014 when BJP came to power; from 222 in 2014 to 322 in 2016 to 795 in 2017.

What have we achieved there except to increase pain and sufferings of a common people in this long and arduous hiatus?

There was a glimmer of hope whenParvezMusharraf came to India, while he was President, withhis fourpoint solution – gradual withdrawal of troops, self -government, no changes in the region’s borders and a joint supervision mechanism. But we refused the offer point blank as our memories of him, in his previous avatar as a general who started Kargil,were still fresh.

Jawaharlal Nehru wanted Kashmir to remain with India with article 370 intact(say autonomy) because he wanted to uphold India’s secular credentials. Things have changed now. As Pakistan

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Despite pouring billions of dollars in Kashmir since 1947, the state remains one of the poorest; unemployment is one of the worst in the country. wants to teach a lesson to Hindu India by annexing Kashmir, true to its original ideology, India wants to give a befitting reply to Muslim Pakistan by calling its bluff.

Result? Kashmir is suffering for 70 years.

It was Khushwant Singh, 20 years ago, who came out openly and advocated for Kashmir’s autonomy; 10 years ago VirSanghvi, the then Hindustan Times editor who toed the same line as Khushwant Singh’s.

“The elimination of Burhan Wani has increased the sense of alienation among a section of Kashmiri youth. This has created a fertile ecosystem for the anti-India sentiment and ideologically to gain strength. Concurrently, the inability of the ruling alliance in Srinagar to provide credible and empathetic political intervention is palpable” Commodore UdhayBhaskar

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Reimagining Pakistan for peaceful and prosperous future existence Humko Batlau to kiya Matlab hai Pakistan ka Jisjagah is waqt hain, najishai kya who jagah Nesh e Tohmat se tere ,Chisti ka Sina chak hai Jald batla kya Zameen Ajmer ki Na-Pak hai (Shamim Karhani, Pakistan Chahne walo se, To those who ask for Pakistan) Acknowledge me, what Pakistan means?

Do the land where Muslims lives are defiled?

Your abuse (slur) has pained the Chisti’s chest Do you think land of Ajmer is Impure? (as cited in Shamshul Islam, 2017)

By Amir Hussain*

H

indus and Muslims lived together for centuries peacefully and harmoniously barring few communal tentions here and there. Under Mughals ( to whom many Hindu nationalists refer as invaders including former president Mr, PranabMukherji) India flurishedextraordinarilyin the field of Agriculture, Arts& Crafts and architecture. But due to British occupation of Indian sub-continent discontent, mainly between Hindus and Muslims, was created. James Mill’s Indian histiography problematically written as Hindu India (period) and Muslim India or (Muslim period) but with same token he did refer British India as Christian period. Inferential meaning therein is that it is Britishers who rose above religious bigotry and reformed the Indian society from several superstitions.

It was during Britishers that “two nation theory” was introduced by the RSS, Allama Iqbal and by Muslim league which catastrophically resulted into the partition of British India into India and Pakistan and later in 1971 Bangladesh came into existence.

In his book ‘Reimagining Pakistan’ former Pakistan’s ambassador to USA Hussain Haqqani, who is presently barred from entering Pakistan chalks out the seventy years of ups and downs of Pakistan and suggests number of bold steps to be taken for course corrections.

Pakistan was created for solving the communal problem but failed poorly.

Today Muslims of erstwhile British India are divided into three part and their condition is miserable. Pakistan failed to

reform its landownership system and even today Feudalism exists. Poor Pakistanis works in Middle-east to make both ends meet for their families back in Pakistan. Muhajirs are mostly stranded in Karachi leaving back their relatively prosperous life in pre-partition British India.

Owing to ethnicamd lingual dissatisfactions Bangladesh came into existence.

Muslims left in India proved this wrong. This book is worth reading to understand how countries created on religious exuberance failed to fufill the basic physiological needs of its destitute people.

Back in India Muslims are unofficially decimated in almost every field, be it legislative, Executive, Judiciary and in other civil and military fields.

Sachar Committee empirically reported the shoddier condition which is even worse than the conditions of ex-untouchables.

This is direct consequence of partition. Post-partition Hindu nationalists explicitly and implicitly advocates for scraping the voting rights of Muslims.

In his meticulous analysis author asks for giving up religious fantasies and to act rationally to improve the health, education and infrastructure instead of availing the geographically strategic position of Pakistan for some financial aids from external institutions and countries. Pakistan poorly failed to develop its stable and self-reliant economy. Military expenses are increased in every financial budget while other social services are neglected.

India was partitioned on the pretext of Hindu and Muslim are two separate nations who do not inter-dine and inter-marry hence they must be separated.

But the way Hindu minority in Pakistan and Bangladesh and substantial number of www.southasiatimes.com.au - (03) 9884 8096, 0421 677 082

*Amir Hussain, Research Scholar, Deptt of Social Work,AMU, Aligarh. Emailsiswarkalan@gmail.com - Counter Currents, 5 July 2018.

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PLACES OF WORSHIP HINDU Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple 57 Boundary Rd, Carrum Downs, Melbourne, Vic 3201, Ph: 03 9782 0878; Fax: 03 9782 0001 Website: www.hsvshivavishnu.org.au Sri Vakratunda Vinayaka Temple 1292 - 1294, The Mountain Highway, The Basin, Vic 3154, Ph: 03 9792 1835 Melbourne Murugan Temple 17-19 Knight Ave., Sunshine VIC 3020 Ph: 03 9310 9026 Durga Temple (Durga Bhajan Mandali) Neales Road, Rockbank, Vic 3335 Ph: 03 9747 1628 or Mobile: 0401 333 738 Hare Krishna (ISKCON) Temple 197 Danks Street, Middle Park Vic 3206 Ph: (03) 9699 5122 Email: 100237.354@compuserve.com Hare Krishna New Nandagram Rural Community Oak Hill, Dean’s Marsh Rd., Bambra VIC 3241, Ph: (052) 887383 Fax: (052) 887309 Kundrathu Kumaran Temple 139 Gray Court, ROCKBANK Victoria 3335 Ph: 03-9747 1135 or M: 0450 979 023 http://www.kumarantemple.org.au/ Sankat Mochan Temple 1289 A North Road. Huntingdale Morning: 10.30 am – 12.30 pm daily Evening: 4:30 pm – 8.00 pm daily Site: http: www.sankatmochan.org.au Contact: 0427 274 462 Shirdi Sai Sansthan 32 Hailey Avenue, Camberwell Vic 3124;Ph: (03) 9889 2974; Site: shirdisai.net.au Sai Baba Temple, 50 Camberwell Road Aum Sai Sansthan Temple 76 Albert Street (Enter From : Bear Street) MORDIALLOC VIC - 3195 Website : www.aumsai.org.au Contact : 0468 362 644

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Lynbrook VICTORIA 3975, (03) 9799 1081 HOPPERS CROSSING Sri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha 417 Sayers Road, Hoppers Crossing VICTORIA 3029, Ph: (03) 9749 2639 WERRIBEE Gurdwara Sahib Werribee 560 Davis Road, Tarneit VICTORIA 3029 PH: (03) 8015 4707 SHEPPARTON Gurdwara Sahib Shepparton 240 Doyles Road, Shepparton VICTORIA 3603 PH: (03) 5821 9309

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72 George Road, Doncaster Ph 03 9842 6491, Footscray West Mosque 294 Essex Street, Footscray Glenroy Musala 1st Floor, 92 Wheatsheaf Road, Glenroy Heidelberg Mosque Corner Lloyd & Elloits Streets, West Heidelberg Islamic College of Victoria (Mosque) 201 Sayers Road, Hoppers Crossing Ph 03 9369 6010 Huntingdale Mosque 320-324 Huntingdale Road, Huntingdale Ph 03 9543 8037 Al Nur Mosque 34-36 Studley Street, Maidstone Meadow Heights Mosque Hudson Circuit, Meadow Heights Springvale Mosque 68 Garnworthy Street, Springvale

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Bangladesh High Commission, Canberra 43, Culgoa Circuit, O’Malley, ACT-2606 Canberra, Australia, Ph: (61-2) 6290-0511, (61-2) 6290-0522, (61-2)6290-0533 (Auto hunting).

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Vic 3175, Ph: (03) 9791 9227 Site: heritageindia.net.au

DVDs, Music CDs & Film Stuff Baba Home Entertainment 52C Foster St., Dandenong 3175, (03) 97067252

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lAWYERS MLG Lawyers Ronny Randhawa 144 Sydney Road, Coburg Vic Ph 9386 0204 & 138 Walker Street, Dandenong Vic Ph: 9793 9917 Mobile : 0402 256 712 Vera Lawyers Kusum Vaghela Level 1, Suite 2, 373 Lonsdale Street, Dandenong Vic, Mobile: 0433 827 124

Jewellery Bhadra Laxman Jewellers 22ct Gold Jewellery / Silver Pooja (03) 9846 7661

Raj Rani Creations 83-A Foster Street, Dandenong, Vic 3175 Ph: (03) 9794 9398 desi estyle 76 Foster St., Dandenong 3175 (03) 87744853; 0413707685 Heritage India 54-56 Foster Street, Dandenong,

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The long and short of the digital revolution w

By Martin Mühleisen*

ASHINGTON DC, Jun 26 2018 (IPS) - Digital platforms are recasting the relationships between customers, workers, and employers as the silicon chip’s reach permeates almost everything we do— from buying groceries online to finding a partner on a dating website.

As computing power improves dramatically and more and more people around the world participate in the digital economy, we should think carefully about how to devise policies that will allow us to fully exploit the digital revolution’s benefits while minimizing job dislocation.

This digital transformation results from what economists who study scientific progress and technical change call a general-purpose technology—that is, one that has the power to continually transform itself, progressively branching out and boosting productivity across all sectors and industries.

Such transformations are rare. Only three previous technologies earned this distinction: the steam engine, the electricity generator, and the printing press. These changes bring enormous longterm benefits.

The steam engine, originally designed to pump water out of mines, gave rise to railroads and industry through the application of mechanical power. Benefits accrued as farmers and merchants delivered their goods from the interior of a country to the coasts, facilitating trade.

By their very nature, general-purpose technological revolutions are also highly disruptive. The Luddites of the early 19th century resisted and tried to destroy machines that rendered their weaving skills obsolete, even though the machines ushered in new skills and jobs. Such disruption occurs precisely because the new technology is so flexible and pervasive.

Consequently, many benefits come not simply from adopting the technology, but from adapting to the technology. The advent of electricity generation enabled power to be delivered precisely when and where needed, vastly improving manufacturing efficiency and paving the way for the modern production line.

In the same vein, Uber is a taxi company using digital technology to deliver a better service.

An important component of a disruptive technology is that it must first be widely adopted before society adapts to it. Electricity delivery depended on generators. The current technological revolution depends on computers, the technical backbone of the Internet, search engines, and digital platforms.

Because of the lags involved in adapting to new processes, such as replacing traditional printing with online publishing, it takes time before output growth accelerates. In the early stages of such revolutions, more and more resources are devoted to innovation and reorganization whose benefits are realized only much later.

For example, while James Watt marketed a relatively efficient engine in 1774, it took until 1812 for the first commercially successful steam locomotive to appear.

And it wasn’t until the 1830s that British output per capita clearly accelerated.

Perhaps it is no wonder that the digital revolution doesn’t show up in the productivity statistics quite yet—after all, the personal computer emerged only about 40 years ago.

But make no mistake— the digital revolution is well under way. In addition to transforming jobs and skills, it is also overhauling industries such as retailing and publishing and perhaps— in the not-too-distant future— trucking and banking.

In the United Kingdom, Internet transactions already account for almost one-fifth of retail sales, excluding gasoline, up from just onetwentieth in 2008. And e-commerce sites are applying

their data skills to finance.

The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba already owns a bank and is using knowledge about its customers to provide small-scale loans to Chinese consumers.

Amazon.com, the American e-commerce site, is moving in the same direction.

Meanwhile, anonymous cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are posing challenges to efforts to combat money laundering and other illicit activities. But what makes these assets appealing also makes them potentially dangerous. Cryptocurrencies can be used to trade in illegal drugs, firearms, hacking tools, and toxic chemicals.

On the other hand, the underlying technology behind these currencies (blockchain) will likely revolutionize finance by making transactions faster and more secure, while better information on potential clients can improve the pricing of loans through better assessment of the likelihood of repayment.

Regulatory frameworks need to ensure financial integrity and protect consumers while still supporting efficiency and innovation.

Looking forward, we may see even more disruption from breakthroughs in quantum computing, which would facilitate calculations that are beyond the capabilities of traditional computers. While enabling exciting new products, these computers could undo even some new technologies.

For example, they could render current standards in cryptology obsolete, potentially affecting communication and privacy on a global level. And this

is just one aspect of threats to cyber security, an issue that is becoming increasingly important, given that almost all essential public services and private information are now online.

Digitalization will also transform people’s jobs.

The jobs of up to one-third of the US workforce, or about 50 million people, could be transformed by 2020, according to a report published last year by the McKinsey Global Institute.

The study also estimates that about half of all paid activities could be automated using existing robotics and artificial and machine learning technologies. For example, computers are learning not just to drive taxis but also to check for signs of cancer, a task currently performed by relatively wellpaid radiologists.

While views vary, it is clear that there will be major potential job losses and transformations across all sectors and salary levels, including groups previously considered safe from automation.

As the McKinsey study underscores, after a slow start, the pace of transformation continues to accelerate. The ubiquitous smartphone was inconceivable to the average person at the turn of the 21st century.

Now, more than 4 billion people have access to handheld devices that possess more computing power than the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration used to send two people to the moon. And yet these tiny supercomputers are often used only as humble

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telephones, leaving vast computing resources idle.

One thing is certain: there’s no turning back now. Digital technology will spread further, and efforts to ignore it or legislate against it will likely fail. The question is “not whether you are ‘for’ or ‘against’ artificial intelligence—that’s like asking our ancestors if they were for or against fire,” said Max Tegmark, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a recent Washington Post interview.

But economic disruption and uncertainty can fuel social anxiety about the future, with political consequences. Current fears about job automation parallel John Maynard Keynes’s worries in 1930 about increasing technological unemployment. We know, of course, that humanity eventually adapted to using steam power and electricity, and chances are we will do so again with the digital revolution.

The answer lies not in denial but in devising smart policies that maximize the benefits of the new technology while minimizing the inevitable short-term disruptions. The key is to focus on policies that respond to the organizational changes driven by the digital revolution.

Electrification of US industry in the early 20th century benefited from a flexible educational system that gave people entering the labor force the skills needed to switch from farm work as well as training opportunities for existing workers to develop new skills.

In the same way, education and training should give today’s workers the wherewithal to thrive in a new economy in which repetitive cognitive tasks—from driving a truck to analyzing a medical scan—are replaced by new skills such as web engineering and protecting cyber security.

More generally, future jobs will probably emphasize human empathy and originality: the professionals deemed least likely to become obsolete include nursery school teachers, clergy, and artists.

One clear difference between the digital revolution and the steam and electricity revolutions is the speed at which the technology is being diffused across countries.

While Germany and the United Kingdom followed the US take-up of electricity relatively quickly, the pace of diffusion across the globe was

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relatively slow.

In 1920, the United States was still producing half of the world’s electricity. By contrast, the workhorses of the digital revolution— computers, the Internet, and artificial intelligence backed by electrical power and big data—are widely available.

Indeed, it is striking that less-developed countries are leading technology in many areas, such as mobile payments (Kenya), digital land registration (India), and e-commerce (China).

These countries facilitated the quick adoption of new technologies because, unlike many advanced economies, they weren’t bogged down in preexisting or antiquated infrastructure. This means tremendous opportunities for trial and error to find better policies, but also the risk of a competitive race to the bottom across countries.

While the digital revolution is global, the pace of adaptation and policy reactions will—rightly or wrongly—be largely national or regional, reflecting different economic structures and social preferences.

The revolution will clearly affect economies that are financial hubs, such as Singapore and Hong Kong SAR, differently than, for

example, specialized oil producers such as Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Equally, the response to automated production technologies will reflect possibly different societal views on employment protection.

Where preferences diverge, international cooperation will likely involve swapping experiences of which policies work best. Similar considerations apply to the policy response to rising inequality, which will probably continue to accompany the gradual discovery of the best way to organize firms around the new technology.

Inequality rises with the widening of the gap in efficiency and market value between firms with new business models and those that have not reorganized.

These gaps close only once old processes have been largely replaced.

Education and competition policy will also need to be adapted. Schools and universities should provide coming generations with the skills they need to work in the emerging economy. But societies also will need to put a premium on retraining workers whose skills have been degraded.

Similarly, the reorganization of production puts new strains on competition policy to ensure that new techniques do not become the province of a few firms that come first in a winner-take-all lottery. In a sign that this is what is already happening, Oxfam International recently reported that eight individuals held more assets than the poorest 3.6 billion combined.

The railroad monopolies of the 19th century required trust busting. But competition policy is more difficult when future competitors are less likely to emerge from large existing firms than from small companies with innovative approaches that have the capacity for rapid growth.

How can we ensure that the next Google or Facebook is not gobbled up by established firms?

Given the global reach of digital technology, and the risk of a race to the bottom, there is a need for policy cooperation similar to that of global financial markets and sea and air traffic.

In the digital arena, such cooperation could include regulating the treatment of personal data, which is hard to oversee in a countryspecific way, given the

southSouth asia times 37 Asia Times international nature of the Internet, as well as intangible assets, whose somewhat amorphous nature and location can complicate the taxation of digital companies.

And financial supervisory systems geared toward monitoring transactions between financial institutions will have trouble dealing with the growth of peer-to-peer payments, including when it comes to preventing the funding of crime.

The importance of cooperation also implies a role for global international organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

These institutions, with their broad membership, can provide a forum for addressing the challenges posed by the digital revolution, suggest effective policy solutions, and outline policy guidelines.

To be successful, policymakers will need to respond nimbly to changing circumstances, integrate experiences across countries and issues, and tailor advice effectively to countries’ needs.

The digital revolution should be accepted and improved rather than ignored and repressed. The history of earlier general-purpose

technologies demonstrates that even with short-term dislocations, reorganizing the economy around revolutionary technologies generates huge long-term benefits.

This does not negate a role for public policies. On the contrary, it is precisely at times of great technological change that sensible policies are needed. The factories created by the age of steam also ushered in regulations on hours of work, juvenile labor, and factory conditions.

Similarly, the gig economy is causing a reconsideration of rules: for example, what does it mean to be selfemployed in the age of Uber?

To minimize disruptions and maximize benefits, we should adapt policies on digital data and international taxation, labor policies and inequality, and education and competition to emerging realities.

With good policies and a willingness to cooperate across borders, we can and should harness these exciting technologies to improve wellbeing without diminishing the energy and enthusiasm of the digital age. *The author is director of the IMF’s Strategy, Policy, and Review Department.

Insurance on blockchain means more assurance

By RAJESH YOGI

streams can enhance the risk selection process by combining location, external risk and analytics.

A distributed ledger can enable the insurer and various third parties to easily and instantly access and update relevant information (e.g., claim forms, evidence, police reports and third-party review reports).

How it works currently vs how it is going to work in future Let’s take example of “Purchasing an Insurance Policy with current process versus Blockchain process”.

Recap so far Insurance on Blockchain presents us with a more secure way of saving and securing policies, which can cut down on fraud, and it can also cut down on transaction times and processing fees.

Blockchain, or distributed ledger technology, has quickly become a fixation in the financial services industry as a result of its potential to revolutionize and transform our thinking about data sharing and security.

The business case for insurance Insurance has been around for centuries, while technology has permanently changed entire industries wholesale over the past decade, the multi-trilliondollar global insurance industry in many ways, is still stuck in the past.

Policies themselves are often processed on paper contracts, which means claims and payments are error-prone and often require human supervision.

Compounding this is the inherent complexity of insurance, which involves consumers, brokers, insurers and reinsurers, as

well as insurance’s main product at risk.

The common problems with paper are:1. Ink fading over the time 2. Paper torn with 25years of policy 3. Losing Policy 4. Fraud signatures or wrong details 5. Heavy operations fees The opportunity Fraud detection and risk prevention Thanks to its ability to provide a public ledger across multiple untrusted parties, blockchain has the potential to eliminate errors and detect fraudulent activity. A decentralized

digital repository can independently verify the authenticity of customers, policies and transactions (such as claims) by providing a complete historical record. As such, insurers would be able to identify duplicate transactions or those involving suspicious parties.

Claims prevention and management Alongside big data, mobile and digital technologies, blockchain is essential to establishing an efficient, transparent and customerfocused claims model based on higher degrees of trust. Within claims prevention,new data

How Blockchain is disrupting the Insurance Blockchain technology offers great potential to make insurance more efficient and less expensive.

1. Hassle free ID proofs The blockchain can prove to be highly beneficial as it provides the opportunity to issue immutable digital identities (Tamper proof IDs) to senders and recipients of remittances.

Obtaining a digital identity with verifiable data through the blockchain is a far better proposition than consolidating market share in the heavily fragmented insurance business.

2. No Middlemen

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Insurance on the blockchain eliminates the need for Insurance companies.

3. Cheaper processing fees Blockchain eliminates middlemen and enables beneficiary and insurer to connect directly, thereby increasing transparency and reducing remittance costs.

4. Efficiency • Replace "End of Day" (EOD) reconciliation with real time reconciliation of transactions • Eliminate paper cost • Automate critical business processes using Smart Contracts • Lower maintenance and recurring costs for remittance system • Safe, secure and authentic transaction handling • Live tracking of transactions with all parties using the insurance dashboard because of "Distributed Ledger Technology" One could quickly discover that there is no “tragedy or hurry to adopt new technology,” and, what is most puzzling is thatthe Insurance companies are not even that eager to spend money on new technology, in-fact they are just waiting to get disrupted by startups.

To be continued…….

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