India Foundation hosted a felicitation programme for H.E. Shri Maithripala Sirisena, the Hon’ble President of Sri Lanka on May 13, 2016 at the Hotel ITC Maurya, New Delhi. The event was graced by the presence of many eminent leaders like Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State (IC) for Petroleum and Natural Gas; Shri Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Development of North Eastern Region and former MPs and Ambassadors.

The representatives of India Foundation pointed out that under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena the longstanding relationship between India and Sri Lanka has entered into a new path while further strengthening it.

India Foundation and the US India Business Council held bilateral discussions on 7th April 2016 at Villa Medici, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi.

Welcoming the USIBC delegation on behalf of India Foundation, Shri Shakti Sinha, Director, said that in the context of an uncertain global economy that shows no signs of recovery, India looks towards foreign investment to help it step up its GDP growth rates to around 10% that it requires to achieve its national development goals. In this context while the present government has made improving the investment climate, or what is popularly known as ‘the ease of doing business’, and taken many steps in that directions, clearly much more has to be done. He requested the USIBC delegation to give specific suggestions on the obstacles or bureaucratic snafus their members faced when doing business in India, so that the quantum of FDI flows for the US increased substantially.

Ambassador Frank Wisner, who led the USIBC delegation said that the economic success of India is extremely important for USA and that the Indian growth rate which is at present above 7% can go up to 10%. He observed that only opening markets and driving them to competitiveness and bringing in best practices from around the world would ensure accelerated economic growth. Copies of a document titled “India’s Rise: A strategy for trade-led growth” prepared by C. Fred Bergsten of Peterson Institute for International Economics were circulated and Ambassador Frank Wisner remarked that they could only give analysis of how America looks towards India, but India must design its own package of ideas. He expressed a wish that India must join APEC and added that he had indication from Finance Minister of India that govt. of India would look at the prospect positively. He wished that India would grow better, stronger and more influential and be a global player. He said that USIBC values relationship with India Foundation and looks towards intensifying things both organizations can do together. Ambassador Teresita Schafer, Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates said that USA would certainly not throw away all trade barriers and therefore cannot ask India to throw them away. He also said that USA was trying to be friendlier to India’s exports. Mr. Kenneth I. Juster, Partner & Managing Director, Warburg Pincus said that their member companies are making investments in India in a big way. He said that they expect a greater clarity in policy making in India. He said that though FDI limit in insurance sector had increased from 26% to 49% in India, not a single US Company took advantage of it and increased its investment from 26% to 49% percent because they wanted management control of their capital which was not permissible.

Shri Ram Madhav appreciated USIBC’s desire to host an event in US if the Indian PM decides to visit US in the middle of this year. He said that India’s admission to the membership of an expanded APEC and of NSG, strengthening co-operation on solar energy front and collaboration in defence sector would go a long way in strengthening bilateral relations between India and US. F-16 manufacture in India would be a big thing to happen and Indian government would have the domestic political challenge of answering harsh criticism and clearing misinformation. He said that US must understand and appreciate India’s growing interest and ambition in Indian Ocean. He said while trade and investment is important, it is not exclusive but part of a larger vision. India has strategic goals and larger diplomatic objectives to be achieved and the present government had taken a conscious decision to move ahead on a direction which though difficult, is clearly defined.

Ambassador Ranjan Mathai emphasized the need for driving lot of technology into solar energy field and the role USA can play in this. Ambassador Ashok Kantha suggested that since global trade was flat, trailing growth in global GDP, India may not have the option to look at trade-led growth; instead it would have to rely on investment-led growth. He also suggested that USA should fast-track and facilitate the mechanism of India joining APEC. Dr Shamika Ravi, Senior Fellow, Brookings India, said that India would be able to sustain growth above 7.5% as it is laying foundational structure for growth. She also spoke of the need to rethink about the existing world order of trade and that India was open to lot of experimentation. She added that poverty eradication would have to remain the primary focus of the Indian agenda.

Sri Binod Bawri, Chairman, Bawri Group, Kolkata said that we should also look beyond GDP growth rates; programmes like Swatch Bharat would improve quality of lives of people. He also spoke of the need to focus on brining in best practices in the running of the economy. Ambassador Rajiv Sikri said that it would have to be seen whether the US Congress would approve Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). If the TPP were to come into effect, it would change the rules of the game. He said countries like India had to go through considerable sacrifices in joining WTO and now it seems that WTO+ was likely to come. He said India would have to judge the efficacy of any proposed reform measures in terms of how it would help create jobs in India. He said that India wanted more freedom with regard to movement of labour whereas for the USA, the priority was more freedom with regard to movement of capital. The two countries would have to find a balance between both so that there would be growing convergence of long term goals of both India and USA.

Shri Shaurya Doval said that when India and USA are strategic partners, an element of strategic partnership was to understand at what stage of economic evolution the other partner was. He said India’s growth had to be employment-led; ensuring job creation was a political compulsion as about a million people join workforce every month. He said India needs lot of capital to generate employment and USA needs to deploy its capital. It is a biggest opportunity to marry both. He also requested intellectual inputs from USIBC to enable India to look at and improve its own systems in order to attract capital.

Shri Shakti Sinha, Director, India Foundation who led the delegation from India Foundation presented a memento to Ambassador Frank Wisner and warmly thanked the entire delegation from USIBC for the valuable interaction and looked forward to future collaboration.

The 7th round of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue titled, “Bangladesh-India Relations: Ground Rules of a new paradigm” was held on the 4th to 5th March, 2016 in Dhaka, jointly organized by the Bangladesh Foundation and India Foundation, Friends of Bangladesh and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka and witnessed high levels of participation from the political, media, executive and academic circles of both countries.

Day – 1:
The inaugural session began with the welcome remarks by H.E. Mr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh and Introductory Remarks by Mr. Satyam Roy Chowdhury, Vice President Friends of Bangladesh (India Chapter). The Dialogue was graced by the presence of the Chief Guest, Mr. Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, M.P, Hon’ ble Foreign Minister of Bangladesh. The Key Note Speeches were delivered by H.E. Mr. Shahriar Alam, Honorable State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; Shri Ram Madhav, National General Secretary of BJP and Director, India Foundation.

Mr. Shahriar Alam, Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh addressed the relationship between Bangladesh-India based on a multitude of commonalities–historical, cultural, linguistic, religious, ethnic and social. He highly appreciated the ratification by India of the long awaited Land Boundary Agreement that has been an epitome of goodwill of the BJP-led government towards Bangladesh. He also highlighted that apart from traditional sectors, new areas of cooperation have also opened up collaboration in nuclear energy, blue economy, maritime affairs, satellite launching just a few to name.

In his Keynote remarks, Shri Ram Madhav, National General Secretary of BJP and Director, India Foundation, mentioned that the relation of India with Bangladesh is not of a big brother but rather as partners; partners in progress, partners in peace, partners in prosperity. He emphasized on both countries’ democratic constitution and praised the Hon’ble PM, Sheikh Hasina for her stand to protect the democratic constitution of Bangladesh. In case of trade issues with India he gave his assurance that no injustice will be done to Bangladesh. He also applauded the Indian high commissioner’s involvement to take the land boundary agreement to a logical conclusion.

In his address, the Chief Guest for the Inaugural Session, Mr. Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali, Hon’ble Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh spoke about the new prospering dimensions of India-Bangladesh relations. He also mentioned that the foreign policy of both the nations should be the one which promotes secularism; human rights, social justice, and non-violent inter-cultural progress to stop religious intolerance.

Day- 2:
The 2nd Day of the event began with the much awaited Special Address by Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh, Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque. In his remarks, he emphasized on particular issues that need to be worked upon to enhance the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh. These issues include water, terrorism, cyber security, energy security, oil transportation, power trading, nuclear power and electricity generation.

Session – 1:
Topic: Securing Borders, Securing People

Speakers:
Chair: H.E. Shri MJ Akbar
Keynote Papers: Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan and Major General (Retd.) Abdur Rashid

In his Keynote Paper titled “Radicalization & Terrorism”, Major General (Retd.) Abdur Rashid said, radicalization is a process by which individual or group comes to adopt violent ideology as a legitimate means. Terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. He raised his concern about the fact that radicalization leads to terrorism because of poverty, disparity in charity world, absence of rule of law & justice, deficit in democracy, lack of good governance, presence of social inequality and violation of human rights.

In her Keynote Address, Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan, Joint Secretary (Bangladesh & Myanmar), MEA, Government of India, talked about the good state of relationship between Bangladesh & India. She mentioned that ongoing projects like rail-road connectivity, telecom, energy, science & technology, power, culture have lead to a positive momentum, which is extended by political partnership and the coordination among the agencies of both sides.

The Panelists for the session were Capt Alok Bansal, Shri Swapan Dasgupta, Dr. Syed Manzurul Islam, Shri Swapan Dasgupta and Prof. Delwar Hossain. They discussed about the growing Radicalization and the need to develop a comprehensive Deradicalization strategy; the need for maritime boundary agreement; the need for Bangladesh to make an economic and financial relation with India; the problem of illegal currency and the issue of local security.

Session – 2:
Topic: Creating the Access of Prosperity and Growth Leverages

Speakers:
Chair: Mr. Shahriar Alam
Keynote Papers: Shri Shakti Sinha and Dr. Gowher Rizvi

The first Keynote Paper was presented by Shri Shakti Sinha, Director, South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs, New Delhi. He stated Bangladesh could be the centre of manufacturing industries and that there are a lot of investment opportunities. He also emphasized on the need for a comprehensive water and energy framework in South Asia.

Dr. Gowher Rizvi, Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh expressed that the award of the much talked about Teesta water sharing agreement would make positive development. He stressed that harnessing the Himalayan water resources has a huge potential and remains untapped in the region especially in Nepal and Bhutan. India-Bangladesh relations are currently billed as being ‘at their best’ though there are issues of the water sharing and border management sectors. He also said that the border killings have been reduced drastically now than what it was during the BNP regime.

The panelists included Shri Binod Bawri, Director, India Foundation, Ms. Sripriya Ranganathan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Dr. Qazi Khaliquzzaman Ahmed, Governing Chairman and Prof. Mustafizur Rahman, CPD Executive Director.

Session – 3:
Topic: Architecture of Connectivity: Resource, Transport and Power

Speakers:
Chair: Shri Shakti Sinha
Keynote Papers: Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and Mrs. Veena Sikri

The Chair of the session Shri Shakti Sinha, Director, South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs, New Delhi, stated that Bangladesh and India particularly very striving to establish connectivity. Solution beneficial for both countries and solution that is politically determinate was the main focus of this session.

The first Keynote Paper was presented by Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Energy Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He stated that, “Resources, power & transport are the architecture of connectivity between two countries”. He also spoke about challenges in power connectivity and emphasized that energy trade cooperation is the way out of energy poverty.

Smt. Veena Sikri, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, highlighted all the potentials India and Bangladesh hold in establishing connectivity but laid importance on shifting to multimodal transport-based linkages in a new paradigm shift in regional and sub-regional cooperation. She also stressed for safe financial transactions and that the region boasts huge potential in air connectivity. The Indian diplomat also suggested enhancing the connectivity between India and Bangladesh through rail to establish link under Bangladesh- Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) deal. She stated “We have to look at new paradigm, we really have to move multimodal way of transportation for the shift”.

The group of panelists including Shri Prafulla Ketkar, Editor, Organiser, Capt Alok Bansal, Director, India Foundation, Mr. Munshi Faiz Ahmad and Mr. Abdul Mutlub Ahmed, President of BIISS also shared their thoughts about the future architecture of connectivity.

Valedictory Session
At the end of the two day dialogue between Bangladesh and India, the ‘Dhaka declaration’ was presented by Shri Shakti Sinha, Director, South Asian Institute for Strategic Affairs, New Delhi. He stated that the Dialogue was nurtured to answer many of the frequently asked questions and is expected to render a reality check about the future that the two countries, Bangladesh and India, may hope to be heading into.

He further added that the Dialogue has put emphasis to reinforce cooperation between Bangladesh and India in the field of maritime security, developing further shared interests in the preservation of the natural resources, improving security in the Indian Ocean and evoking the historical bonds that exist between the two countries. He was of the view that both the countries may keep the Blue Economy at the center of maritime cooperation, whereby much emphasis would be laid on seabed exploration for hydrocarbons; marine services; seafood processing and aquaculture; fishing; deep ocean water application; seaport related activities; marine renewable energies, exchange of expertise and ocean knowledge. The Dhaka Declaration recommended that Bangladesh and India may exchange, develop and improve jointly quality of literary and artistic creation; confirm and commend values of the true, the good and the beautiful, and combat anti-progress manifestations.

In the continuation of this last session along with the Dhaka Declaration the whole program was summed up with recommendations from the chief guests and panelists. The point was raised on how Bangladesh can take advantage of India as one of the largest growing economies and in turn how Bangladesh could be integral to India’s national and international security and concluded with the hope that the Dialogue will reconvene in Delhi, India, towards the end of 2016 or early 2017 for its Eighth Round to conclusively discuss three more of the identified intervention areas.

Today’s world is enormously challenged by transnational terrorist outfits including the global jihadist movement that draw their strength and sustenance from the geography and theology of their regions. It is also believed that some of them enjoy state sponsorship. Counter-terrorism, in this context, has to be operationalized by the utilization of multifaceted techniques, which would include joint intelligence between states, superior intelligence assessment skills, locating the financial flows of terrorist financing, joint operations, cyber and addressing the virtual base of terrorism, the internet, which is being increasingly used by terrorist groups.

India Foundation, in collaboration with the Government of Rajasthan organized the Counterterrorism Conference 2016 (CTC 2016) at Hotel Crowne Plaza, Jaipur, Rajasthan on 2-3 February 2016. The theme for this year’s conference was Tackling Global Terror Outfits. Over 250 eminent intellectuals, academics and scholars from India and all over the world attended the conference which was addressed by over 35 speakers. This conference brought together field operatives, senior officials from security agencies, policy makers, scholars and government leaders involved in counterterrorism operations, planning and sensitization.

The CTC 2016 emphasized on understanding the phenomenon of the mushrooming terror outfits in the Middle East and its neighbourhood, their methodology, motivation and resources. The first session explored the liaison between technology, terror and terror financing at length. The discussions also covered how the operation of these forces in tandem gives birth to the idea of “global terrorism” that transcends national borders and serves the limited interests of the terrorists.

The second workshop focused on terror infrastructure and financing. Panelists discussed in great detail the funding patterns of ISIS and Al Qaeda and the role of state actors and international banking institutions in providing financial support in some cases. This happens when a terrorist organization ingratiates itself to the people by creating a separate welfare state in a way that JeM did in Pakistan. ISIS, on the other hand, is not a self-sustaining organization. It manages its everyday expenses by supplying oil to the Middle East and beyond.

Resilient funding chains meshed with the synergy among competitive terrorist organizations working by rotational seasons of attacks makes it very important that we take the leap to think ahead of terrorists. Methods like hawala don’t involve transfer of physical money or movement but a transfer of value adding to the already resilient finance networks of terror organizations. The inherent flexibility of terror organizations and their finances debilitates monitoring mechanisms. Thus, the only solution is comprehensive cooperation and coordination. The broad spectrum of funding, however, also makes these big organizations vulnerable than the ones that are decentralized. This is where we can tap in and make a move. Smaller limited funding attacks such as the Charlie Hebdo killings pose a unique challenge where pre-paid credit cards were used to raise the money required. The fact that they have less networks makes them harder to combat.

The third workshop discussed Terror Networks- Cooperation and Rivalries. The session extensively analyzed how adversarial it is when there is cooperation among terrorist networks. It explained the transition of militant groups that work for money, individual benefits and other deeds unite together and transform into terrorist organizations when the state act against them. The ally of different terrorist organizations has raised disturbing levels of security concerns, especially over South Asia. This broad global network can be destructed by eradicating the local regimes and forces. Each state fighting terrorism should be careful in the repercussions and state must be really prepared to fight the advanced technology that aids the terrorist network.

The inaugural session was honoured with the presence of the President of India, His Excellency Shri Pranab Mukherjee. In his inaugural address he pointed out that the optimism that was achieved in the field of science and technology in the second half of last century has faded in the first 15 years of 21st century. With the rise of Al Qaeda and ISIS, non-state actors are trying to be state themselves and there is a need of fighting them at all levels of social, economic, psychological and religious aspects. The civil society, both frontier and battle ground of such ideologies, with the help of think tanks have to have comprehensive strategies to judiciously combat terrorism. In his keynote address, Dr. Abdulla Abdullah discussed how terrorism has been used to destabilize Afghanistan over the time of pre cold war, post cold war and post 9/11 attack. He reminded the fact that there is an absence of universal appreciation of the danger that terrorism possess to regional peace and security. Smt. Vasundhara Raje and Sri Suresh Prabhu added that the cost of fighting terrorism is as much as GDP of many countries and it hinders development. The threat is real, complex and sees no boundaries. Every nation needs to dismantle the frame works going behind it. Gen. V P Malik delivered the vote of thanks saying that everyone, irrespective of their background has an important role to play in countering terrorism.

The inaugural session was followed by a special dinner hosted by Shri Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor, India where Mr. Ibrahim Rahimpour (Deputy Minister for Asia & Pacific Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamic Republic of Iran) was the Guest of Honor. Mr. Rahimpour spoke against the idea of “flexible terrorism” that distinguishes between “good” and “bad” terrorists. He called upon all countries to unite for comprehensive action against terrorism. Shri Doval looked back on the last 16 years of the international fight against terrorism and said that the key lesson in this fight is to do the right thing but more importantly not do the wrong thing. Reminding that countries fighting terrorism must have both strategy and tactics, he warned against states that outsource instruments of coercion to non-state actors.

In his special lecture, Dr .S. Jaishankar expressed the importance of need of local actions to be governed by global norms. Terrorism can only be encountered by fostering international cooperation and for that, a state centered approach would allow the perpetration of terror and hold the oxygen to non-state actors. Effective interstate cooperation is required and integration is the key factor to counter terrorism. Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam, Honorable State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh was the keynote speaker at the second special lecture. He reiterated that security cooperation was the high point of the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh and spoke of the steps taken by Bangladesh to check terrorist activities within its borders. He also highlighted that the struggle against terrorism is ideological and counter-radicalization work is important in this regard.

In the first plenary session The Caliphate, Al Qaeda and Global Jihad and its theological underpinnings, Sri M J Akbar talked about the evolution of Caliphate and global Jihad concept. Dr. Daniel Pipes assessed the purposes of terrorist attacks which mostly are a reaction to government. The unexpected arise of Caliphate in Libya, Yemen, Nigeria and Afghanistan could lead to greater radicalization. Lt. General Ata Hussain pointed out that the real problem is the lack of information about Islam and the difference between fundamentalism and radicalism. Dr. Alexander Evans said that nations shouldn’t lose the sight of regional and rational aspects of terrorism. The 4 factors that needed to be combated now or that aid terrorism are technology, transnational alliance, multinational cooperation and innovation. He also suggested that there is need for an evidence based analysis of the process. Shri Sultan Shahin talked about the concerted efforts from the Wahabi factions to destroy the peace that Islam as a religion stands for. Through madrasas and various other modes, Quran and hadiths are misinterpreted and used for indoctrination. After listing out the main features of Jihadi ideology, he concluded by saying the importance of standing strong and tall against the attempts to tarnish the image of Islam in the world.

The second plenary session on Regional and International Response to Global Terror brought in experiences from different parts of the world in dealing with the threat of terrorism. To tackle terrorism, it is important to understand the fundamental reasons that trigger terrorist activities and then check them at the source. Targeting a single organization alone cannot yield the desired results. We have to work towards the common aim of uprooting terrorism. Multi-lateral cooperation is very important in achieving this.

The third plenary session on Global Terror and Impact on South Asia discussed how, out of the major variants of terror seen in South Asia, religious fundamentalism is the most prominent one. With most of the countries having a highly understaffed police, South Asian countries are finding it hard to tackle this menace. But South Asian countries are mostly resilient towards this threat as they are democratic and well governed. The efforts of the Sri Lankan government to defeat LTTE was discussed in detail later where it was said that fighting a just war becomes important to ensure all sections of society gets equal set of opportunities within a nation.

Valedictory session was graced by Home Minister Rajnath Singh where he spoke about how world is still grappling with a definition of terrorism, but the terrorists are gaining considerable ground during this time. In his valedictory address, H.E. Datuk NurJazlan Mohamed, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Malaysia spoke about how Malaysia has improved its terrorism fighting capabilities over the last few years and expressed its willingness to engage with other nations in fighting terrorism. He condemned the use of Islam as a tool to inflict violence upon people. Terrorism has got nothing to do with religion as every religion talks about peace. The session ended with Shri Kalyan Singh who talked about how terrorism is like a cancer for humanity that will destroy it if it is not controlled and the importance of increasing the peace and happiness of the world so that we can have a better future. The program concluded with Capt. Alok Bansal delivering the vote of thanks.

The photo gallery for the Counterterrorism Conference 2016 can be accessed through the given link:

https://goo.gl/photos/rX6devXre742HnKUA

The workshop “India-Japan Partnership towards Meeting the Challenge of Infrastructure Development in India’s Northeast” was organized on 19 – 20th January 2016 at Dimapur, Nagaland by the India Foundation and Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) with the support of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO). The objective of this initiative was to foster meaningful policy oriented discussion between experts from both India and Japan in an area of bilateral cooperation that is relatively new but to which both governments attach a great deal of importance.

The context for this workshop was the Tokyo Declaration for Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership, issued after the meeting in Tokyo on 1 September 2014, between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which places special emphasis on Japan’s cooperation for enhanced connectivity and development in Northeast India and linking the region to other economic corridors in India and to Southeast Asia. The Joint Statement released during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent visit to New Delhi has further underlined this stating – Seeking the synergy between India’s “Act East” policy and Japan’s “Partnership for Quality Infrastructure”, the two Prime Ministers decided to develop and strengthen reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructures that augment connectivity within India and between India and other countries in the region. The two Prime Ministers pledged to advance industrial networks and regional value chains with open, fair and transparent business environment in the region.

The Inaugural Address was delivered by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Nagaland Mr. T. R. Zeliang. He pointed out that in the NER while Japan is more known for its role during the Second World War there is now a real opportunity for Japan to create a new image and memorial for itself in this region through active involvement in infrastructural development. He hoped that with the successful implementation of infrastructural projects in this region as part of India-Japan strategic partnership Japan will no more be associated with war, but with peace and development in the minds of the new generation of this region.

Notable participants included – Alok Bansal, Director, India Foundation; Rajat Kathuria, Director and CE, ICRIER; Akio Isomata, Minister Economic, Embassy of Japan in India; Ram Muivah, Secretary, North Eastern Council; Naoyuki Yoshino, Dean, Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo; S. L. Meena, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; Yasushi Ueki, Economist, ERIA; Akio Okamura, Director, Planning Division, South Asia Department, JICA; Y. Nakayama, Member, Japan Plus, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce; Prodyut Bora, Regional Expert & Commentator; M.P. Bezbaruah, Former Member, North Eastern Council; and Manoj Pant, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The workshop discussion agenda was structured around the following themes:

• Economic Development in NER: Current Status and Potential
• Connectivity Imperatives in NER: Inter-regional, With Rest of India and Cross Border
• Areas for India-Japan Cooperation
• Public Private Partnerships: Pointers from Japan’s Involvement in the Development of SEZ’s in Myanmar
• Strategies for Enhancing India-Japan Cooperation in Infrastructure Development in NER

The participants pointed out that primarily the NER states are all subsistence agricultural economies.  Agricultural production is mainly for local consumption and not much is being done in terms of value added. The number and percentage of population below poverty line in NER is declining steadily but at the same time what is worrying is that the gap with “All India” is widening.

In this context connectivity is vital to promote trade, commerce and development of this region. The necessity and importance of strengthening connectivity is:

• For NER (own development)
• For India (balanced development)
• As a catalyst of BBIN (utilizing each comparative advantage, efficient access to sea from landlocked countries/areas)
• As a gateway between India and ASEAN (connecting vast economies/markets)

Further, it was pointed out that three main areas needed to be focused on with regard to NER connectivity – transport, energy and IT with connectivity at 4 levels in each category – within each state, inter-regional, with rest of India and cross border.

Participants agreed that India-Japan cooperation in NER had immense potential in terms of the creation of the necessary infrastructure. However in order to maximize the benefits of Japan’s assistance the following points were highlighted:

• The emphasis should be on ‘quality infrastructure’ utilizing the technical skills and technological expertise from Japan.
• Infrastructure development is not sufficient to achieve effective economic growth.
• In tandem there has to be a long-term economic development plan focusing on ‘value creation’.
• The planning process must be participatory and inclusive involving multilayered consultations among all stakeholders – the Central government, the State governments, the private sector as well as the wider community.

The valedictory address was delivered by Shri Ram Madhav, National General Secretary, BJP & Director, India Foundation and the session was presided over by Shri Himanata Biswa Sarma, Member, BJP. In his address, Shri Madhav said that the development of Northeast is one of the major priorities of the ruling government. He also emphasized that Japan is a very important ally of India for the development of Northeast and the government will immensely benefit from the proposals and suggestions offered at this important workshop.

To access the photo gallery of the Workshop, please use the given link:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bxiaxlz3w08pel9Sblc2bDA0c3M&usp=sharing_eid&ts=56a5fd5f/

The 3rd International Dharma-Dhamma Conference on the theme ‘Harmony of Religions: Welfare of Humankind’ was held at the Brilliant Convention Centre in Indore from 24 October, 2015 to 26 October, 2015. This was jointly organized by the Department of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh; Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies (SUBIS), Bhopal and the Centre for Study of Religion and Society (CSRS) of India Foundation, New Delhi as a prelude to the Simhastha- 2016.

In this 3-Day International Conference, along with the main session, topics pertaining to Global Peace, Environment and Nature, Gender Equality, Religious Pluralism, Knowledge, Moral and Spiritual Values were discussed in different sessions. Religious gurus and noted Scholars discussed mainly on: Religion as a means of global peace, Role of religion in ecological balance, Religion promoting gender equality, Religion to safeguard human dignity, Religion to ensure social justice, Religion propagating moral and spiritual values, Religious pluralism, Development of Yogic traditions in different religions, Significance of knowledge in religion. Religious scholars from India, Southeast Asia, America and Europe presented research papers on the conference’s theme.

In his welcome speech, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated that through religion solution of the world’s problems is possible. He further reiterated that outcome of this conference will be received in form of nectar that may be helpful to resolve the problems of suffering humanity. He also told that government is quite determined to provide adequate space to the nations that are interested to establish their academic centres at Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies (SUBIS).

The Hon’ble Chief Guest of the ceremony and Lok Sabha Speaker Smt. Sumitra Mahajan said that Simhastha is a grand assembly of thoughts and stressed that the outcome of this conference would be helpful to us in deciding our course of life.

The Special Guest, Hon’ble Foreign Minister of Bhutan Shri Lyonpo Damcho Dorji highlighted that it is imperative to find the ways to make religion as an alternative for welfare of mankind. Praising India’s religious diversity, he said that in the world’s biggest democracy people of different religions have been living together for centuries. “India is the birthplace of the world’s four major religions — Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism — and people belonging to these religions have been living together in India for centuries.

Keynote Speaker Shri Bhaiyyaji Joshi, RSS Sarakaryavah emphasized the need of mutual cooperation and interdependency. Joshi said that one should have ‘respect’ for all religions and adopt principles of non-violence.

The inaugural session was followed by a special session chaired by Shri Banagala Upatissa Nayaka Thero, President of Mahabodhi Society (Sri Lanka). In this session Rev. Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II, Head of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (Kerala) addressed the gathering and stated that he is personally against the forcible religious conversion. He considered communication is very important element for any community and put emphasis in the relevance of organization of conferences like as Dharma-Dhamma in keeping religious intolerance aside.

Eminent personalities like Swami Paramatmananda Saraswati of Arsh Vidya Mandir Rajkot, Swami Vishveshwaranand of Sanyas Ashram, Prof. Sadhvi Chaitnya Pragya from Jain Vishwa Bharati University Prof. Sun Keun Kim, Dongguk University, S. Korea H. H. Joseph Marthoma Metropolitan, Head Marthoma Sabha, Kerala and other dignitaries discussed issues related to tolerance and harmony. Swami Sukhabodhananda, Founder and Chairman, Prasanna Trust mesmerized the gathering with his interesting and thought provoking talk. He told that just our daily lives’ religion has become mechanical.

Shri Shivaraj Singh Chouhan, in his public speech, highlighted the importance of Simhastha and termed it as a grand assembly of thoughts. He stressed that along with GDP, benefits of development should be provided to common man.

Swami Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj, Acharya Mahamandaleshwar, Juna Akhara, Mr. Champika Ranawaka, State Minster of Megapolis and Western Development, Government of Sri Lanka, Prof. Geshe Ngawang Samten, Former VC, Central Tibetan University, Sarnath, Varanasi, Prof. David Frawley, Director, American Institute of Vedic Studies, USA and Shri Sultan Shahin, Founder & Editor, New Age Islam, India enlightened the audience on global peace and harmony through religion.

Mr. Oded Wiener, Advisor to the Chief Rabbinate, Israel stated that due to lack of dialogues there is chaos in the entire world. War cannot offer us solution for any problem. Rev. Sumana Siri, Buddhist Realists’ Centre, Singapore told that we can bring heaven on the planet through religion. He considered the present era as an era of digital disturbance. Prof. Vamsee Krishna Juluri, Professor of Media Studies, University of San Francisco, USA focused on the role of media in the welfare of mankind. Dr. Thich Nhat Tu, Deputy Rector, Vietnam Buddhist University, Vietnam stated that spiritual and ethical development of society is must. Dogmatic views neglect pragmatic values of other religions and it results into conflicts.

Dr. Kusum Jain, Professor (Retd.), Department of Philosophy, University of Rajasthan, Prof. Haiyan Shen, Shanghai University, China, Prof. Yasuo Kamata, Professor of Philosophy, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan, Prof. Yajneshwar Shastri, Former Director of School of Philosophy, Psychology and Education, Gujarat University shared thoughts about unfolding richness and wisdom found in all the religions.

The Key Note speaker, world renowned spiritual Guru and founder of Art of Living Sri Sri Ravi Shankar remarked that in India social and individual welfare are never treated as different entities. There should be spiritualistic politics, secularize religion and socialize business. Spiritualise politics means that politicians and people in authority will have to have feelings for people, connection with people, a feeling of righteousness. He stated that the purpose of religion is purity in heart, clarity and quality in mind and sincerity in action. One should not keep quiet but spread the message of Dharma loud and clear in society for a one world family – ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. Quoting from ancient Indian scriptures, he said differences of opinion and diverse ways of thinking can get one closer to ultimate reality and bring happiness and peace in the world.

Dr. Lobsang Sangay, Guest of Honour of the conference and Head of Central Tibetan Administration, Dharamshala earned the audience’ appreciation when he said that he came from the land of Manasarovar, an abode of Kailashpati Shankar. He elaborated the importance of 4C’s in life Compassion, Clarity, Co-operation and Co-existence. Hon. Sikyong began his speech by quoting H.H. the Dalai Lama, “My religion is simple. My religion is kindness” and underscored the importance of compassion as a core essence of leadership, giving a call to religious and political leaders to incorporate compassion in their official activities.