South Asia

South-South Cooperation and TARA InfraPower's 600 MW Power-Project in Sri Lanka

By M. Niba *

LUCKNOW, India (IDN) – Private sector is playing a very important role to secure the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There is an inherent link between the SDGs and PPPs. The business enterprises contribute toward the development process not only through their competitive advantages but also via increased access to capital and incorporating innovation in their practices.

Indian companies have over the years built a competitive advantage in the delivery of highly cost-effective technological and business solutions and are renowned for their expertise across the globe.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; South Asia; 22 August 2020

Collage of pictures (left) of Senator Kamala Harris, official US Senate photo (Source: Wikimedia) and (right) her parents, Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris. (Source: San Jose Mercury News).

From Lotus Goddess to Holy Basil: Transnational Racio-scapes in US Presidential Politics

By Radhika Parameswaran and Pallavi Rao *

BLOOMINGTON, USA (IDN) – On June 27, 2019, the night of the second Democratic primary debate, Donald Trump Jr. shared and deleted a tweet posted by the right-wing provocateur Ali Alexander. Alexander’s social media post alleged that presidential candidate Kamala Devi Harris was “not an American Black” because she was half Indian and half Jamaican. Trump Jr.’s spokesperson then offered a dubious defense of his boss claiming that he had not intended to endorse racism, but had simply been surprised to learn about Harris’s Indian background.¹

: J C Suresh; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 21 August 2020

Photo: The Indian government is apparently trying to find some mechanism for informal sector workers. Credit: Press Trust of India (PTI).

India's COVID-19 Experience May Usher in a More Humane World for Women and Informal Sector Workers

Viewpoint by Lakshmi Lingam*, Tata Institute of Social Studies

MUMBAI (IDN) – Women in India spend 297 minutes on unpaid domestic work each day, 245 minutes more than men who contribute only 52 minutes. Women’s work is not accounted for in the national accounting system, making their contributions unrecognised and unvalued.

An Oxfam report observes that the unpaid work of Indian women plays a crucial role in sustaining economic activity, equivalent to 3.1 per cent of GDP. Economic and social challenges, including domestic violence, dowry at the time of marriage and the trafficking of women, coalesce to sustain and perpetuate gender inequalities in India.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 19 August 2020

Image: The wheel in the centre of the white in the Indian national flag represents the dynamism of a peaceful change. But certainly not dynamic departure from democracy and diversity that appears to be in the offing. © Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0

Bells Toll for India's Diversity and Democracy

Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran *

NEW DELHI (IDN) – August is a month of memories for India with memorable dates redolent of history, freedom and politics. August 15, with that unforgettably evocative ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, is, doubtless, the most important of the dates observed. Inextricably linked to that is August 8, on which date was launched the Quit India Movement, the turning point in India’s long struggle for freedom from the British Raj.

: Shastri Ramachandaran; OPINION; 16 August 2020

Image: China Nepal Pakistan India Globe Map South Asia

Media Outlets Focusing on Perspectives of Peace and Security in South Asia

News briefs compiled by Suresh Jaura*

TORONTO | NEW DELHI (IDN) – The focus of media outlets on South Asia in the month of July has been on the perspectives of peace and human security in a region marked by skirmishes between India and the emerging global power China as well as nuclear rivals India and Pakistan and India and smaller neighbours. On the one hand, the 'Kashmir issue', COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. pull out of Afghanistan are casting a dark shadow over the region. On the other, Myanmar's decisions to launch a satellite and artificial intelligence appear to be promise a light at the end of the tunnel.

: Suresh Jaura; THE WORLD; South Asia; 15 August 2020

Photo: Collage of pictures of writers, Ritesh Tandon and Manish Uprety F.R.A.S.

The Risk of Democracy Compromising Democracy

Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Ritesh Tandon

Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. is an ex-diplomat and Ritesh Tandon is the Republican Party candidate for the US Congress from California’s 17th District.

CALIFORNIA (IDN) – Politics makes strange bedfellows where one snores aloud and the other one turns a blind eye to it. The paradox goes beyond the marriage of convenience, and oft political parties and people involved in democratic processes tend to undermine the very process.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 30 July 2020

Photo: Beach erosion, flooding, increased groundwater salination of groundwater, and unpredictable weather is already causing both floods and droughts. Photo: UNDP Maldives

The Choices We Make Will Determine the Future of The Maldives

Viewpoint by Kanni Wignaraja and Akiko Fujii

Ms Kanni Wignaraja is UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. Ms Akiko Fujii is Resident Representative, UNDP Maldives

MALÉ (IDN) – With 70 percent of its GDP linked to tourism, the COVID-19 wrecking ball has crashed hard into the Maldives economy. UNDP’s latest Assessment on Livelihoods published this month revealed a precipitous fall in the number of tourists. As a result hotels are closing, service industries are shedding jobs, and the national budget is haemorrhaging money. The border closure and travel ban during the tourist season will have a dramatic impact on the industry, as well as a ripple effect on the country’s economy.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 23 July 2020

China-India Conflict a Potential Threat to Five-Nation BRICS

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) – Tension between China and India threatens to paralyse BRICS – the association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. While struggling to manage the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and India have locked horns over issues in their "bilateral relations", ranging from border security to trade conflicts and information war.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; SUSTAINABILITY; Global Partnerships; 17 July 2020

Photo credit: Global Reporting Initiative

South Asia Virtual Regional Summit to Focus on Empowering Decisions for a Sustainable Future

By Reinhard Jacobsen

AMSTERDAM | NEW DELHI (IDN) – How can the rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic be approached in a way that alleviates the growing economic, societal and environmental pressures in South Asian countries?

Seeking solutions in support of this aim is a key focus of the GRI South Asia Virtual Regional Summit, which starts on July 22. This free events series – with nine online sessions over one week – includes a diverse program under the theme empowering decisions for a sustainable future.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; South Asia; 16 July 2020

Photo: An Indian fighter jet flies over Leh, the joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, on June 25, after the border showdown between Delhi and Beijing. Source: Bangkok Post.

Prelude to a China-India Strategic Showdown?

Viewpoint by PS Suryanarayana*

This article first appeared on East Asia Forum on 5 July 2020. You might also like to read a related article: Cultural Wisdom Might Help Resolve India-China Conflict

SINGAPORE (IDN) – Perpetual border tensions between Asia's biggest neighbours turned ominous in the harsh Himalayan terrain of the Galwan Valley in the twilight of June 15, 2020. The agreed de-escalation of a nearly 40-day confrontation was to take place in that valley in the western sector of disputed Sino–Indian boundary.