Trump’s Plane Tales

In US President Donald Trump’s telling of the story, the number of aircraft that were lost during the May 7-10 India-Pakistan conflict has varied from five to eight. Like a fisherman’s tale, the story gets embellished each time Trump claims he avoided what he claims might have spiralled into a nuclear Armageddon. Trump has, however, stopped short of revealing who lost the planes in the action that followed India’s missile strikes on terror targets inside Pakistan. So far, Pakistan has not been able to provide any proof of having brought down an Indian jet even though India has accepted that there were initial losses. On the other hand, India has shared intelligence inputs, including radar signatures on the Pakistani jets destroyed in the air and provided circumstantial evidence regarding strikes on hangers that housed F-16 aircraft.

Trump continues to claim his friendship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is thriving and has spoken of visiting India, possibly in the New Year. Trump’s references to India agreeing to taper purchases of Russian oil and plans to visit India might reflect behind the scene exchanges but positive outcomes hinge on a resolution of the trade impasse betweenthetwo nations.

Indian perception of an improvement in ties hinges on the US withdrawing the 25 per cent Russian oil tariff Trump has imposed, and which seems to be an act of pique as Modi refused to endorse the president’s claim to have mediated a halt to the May hostilities. In any case, the relationship seems set for uncertainties even as India tries to limit the areas of discord.

Return to Sender

While India-US relations are going through a rough patch, the Trump administration’s policies to discourage unwanted immigration are ensuring swift return of wanted criminals to India. It did not take US authorities much time to cancel the B1/B2 visa issued to Indian businessman Praveen Kapoor when he was detained at New York airport on the basis of an Interpol Red Corner Notice. The US is no longer willing to permit wanted persons to use legal loopholes, including seeking asylum, to evade deportation with the American taxpayers footing the bill. Deportation can take place within a day.

Commerce Ministry Weeds out Files

Regular clean-ups of office space, that includes getting rid of broken and disused furniture, has yielded hundreds of crores to the Centre and reduced the number of pending files. A recent exercise by the commerce ministry saw 88,385 files reviewed and a staggering 46,255 files weeded out. A total of 277 cleanliness drives were conducted, generating revenue of approximately `70 lakh from e-waste and scrap disposal and release of 36,005 sqft of office space, the commerce ministry said. The cleanliness campaigns, if conducted with due seriousness of purpose, can save crores of taxpayer money.

Bhutan’s Ideal King

The fourth king of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuk occupies a special place in the history of the Himalayan kingdom and its relations with India. A far-sighted ruler, the king went against the norm in ceding power to an elected parliament and abdicated the throne when he felt it was time to hand over the reins to son Jigme Khesar Namgyel. He recast relations with India recognising the cultural and geopolitical synergy between the two nations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’S visit to Bhutan this week on the 70th birth anniversary of the former king recognises his signal achievements.

Polluted Protests

A protest against Delhi’s chronic air pollution at India Gate took a curious turn when some of those gathered began lashing out at a prominent corporate being given development contracts and questioning infrastructure developed in various parts of India. No doubt Delhi-NCR air pollution needs urgent attention, the insertion of extraneous issues into the discussion suggests the protests were at least in part tinged by activism and political agendas.

Pension Relief

A two-day conference of state labour ministers convened by the Centre saw Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya urge participants to ensure smooth rollout of the new Employee Pension Fund Organisation (EPFO) norms that vastly simplify the labyrinthian rules governing withdrawals by members. The new withdrawal rules are expected to be operationalised soon and the Centre is keen to ensure all state organisations are on board. The minister also emphasised the need for quick resolution of labour disputes and implementation of safety nets for unorganised labour.

Pawar Play on JPC

The joint parliamentary committee (JPC) which will examine the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill that seeks removal from office of the prime minister, chief ministers, Central and state ministers facing serious criminal cases may have a small Opposition representation as most I.N.D.I.A. bloc parties have decided not to join the panel. The CPM was initially keen to be part of JPC but succumbed to ‘peer’ pressure once Congress and Trinamool said they would not be part of the panel. Interestingly, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) has broken ranks and will be represented.