By TNV Desk

This is a weekly foreign media digest that tells you how India has been covered in the global media from August 27 to September 02

Bloomberg – Startup Wins $36 Million Swarm Drone Deal From Indian Air Force

• A New Delhi-based startup has won a 3 billion rupee ($36 million) order to make 200 long-range swarm drones as the Indian Air Force tries to add to its capabilities drawing lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine. 
• The Indian military, which is heavily dependent on Russia for weapon platforms, is trying to boost local defense production as part of its effort to diversify sources and address gaps in its preparedness highlighted by the war in Ukraine.
• The order is part of the Indian Air Force’s “commitment to handhold the domestic drone startup ecosystem,” it said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The order for 200 kamikaze drones is the largest by value to a local startup by the Indian Air Force.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-31/startup-wins-36-million-swarm-drone-deal-from-indian-air-force#xj4y7vzkg)

Khaleej Times – India: 3,600 journalists to cover G20 Summit in New Delhi

• A total of 3,600 journalists from all over the world will be in attendance in New Delhi next week to cover the 18th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of Twenty (G20), which will be held on September 9 and 10.
• Dr P K Mishra, principal secretary to the Indian prime minister, on Wednesday, chaired a meeting of the G20 Coordination Committee, which “took stock of the arrangements for the Leaders’ Summit, including media-related arrangements,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said after the meeting.
• It added that “a mobile App has been made for the G20 Summit, called ‘G20 India,’ which is now available for download both on Android and iOS. Members of the accredited G20 media will witness digital India firsthand through the “Innovation Hub” and ‘Digital India Experiential Hub’, which are being set up at Bharat Mandapam.”

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/asia/india-3600-journalists-to-cover-g20-summit-in-new-delhi)

Reuters – India ponders simultaneous federal, state polls to save time

Reuters

• India set up a panel on Friday to identify ways to hold state and national elections at the same time, a contentious plan that aims to reduce the time politicians spend on campaigning and get them to focus more on doing their jobs.
• Federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said a committee comprising constitutional experts had been set up to hold “mature discussions” around the idea of “one nation, one election”. The panel will be headed by former President Ramnath Kovind.
• “India is called the mother of democracy … and the discussion around (one nation, one election) is part of evolution,” Joshi said, adding that the plan would be discussed in parliament.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has called a surprise, special five-day session of parliament from Sept. 18 to 22 but has not disclosed the agenda.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-ponders-simultaneous-federal-state-polls-save-time-2023-09-01/)

The Guardian – Biden hopes Xi Jinping will attend G20 amid reports Chinese president will skip Delhi summit

• Joe Biden has said he hopes Xi Jinping will attend the G20 leaders summit in India next week, following reports the Chinese president will skip the meeting.
• The possible absence of Xi was reported by Reuters on Thursday. Analysts quoted by Reuters said any decision by Xi to skip the meeting could be linked to rivalry with host India.
• India lodged a formal objection with China on Tuesday. Beijing urged India to “stay calm” over the map, with foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesday calling on countries to refrain from “over – interpreting” the map, which also laid claim to disputed areas of the South China Sea.
• The summit in India had been viewed as a venue for a possible meeting between Xi and Biden, who has confirmed his attendance, as the two superpowers seek to stabilise relations soured by trade and geopolitical tensions. The G20 summit is seen as an important showcase for India, with the country coming off a successful lunar landing and touting itself as a rising power with attractive markets and a source for global supply chain diversification.
• But relations between the G20 host and China have been troubled for more than three years after soldiers from both sides clashed in the Himalayan frontier in June 2020, resulting in 24 deaths. 
• Indian prime minister Narendra Modi held a rare conversation with Xi on the sidelines of that Brics summit and highlighted concerns India has about the border dispute between the two nuclear -armed neighbours.
• Several G20 ministerial meetings in India ahead of the summit have been contentious as Russia and China together opposed joint statements that included paragraphs condemning Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine last year.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/01/xi-jinping-g20-summit-2023-delhi-joe-biden)

The Independent –Malaysia, Taiwan and Philippines join India in rejecting new Chinese map

• A map showcasing China’s territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea has been roundly rejected by Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. The countries have joined China’s regional rival India in objecting to the map that was released on Monday by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
• The Indian government had earlier on Wednesday lodged a “strong protest” against the map as it showed the Indian territories of northeastern Arunachal Pradesh and the disputed Aksai Chin area on the western border as Chinese territory.
• Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi earlier said India rejected claims of China’s so-called “standard map”.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/malaysia-philippines-china-map-south-china-sea-b2402563.html)

AP – India shows an impressive 7.8% economic growth in April-June quarter

• India’s economy registered impressive growth of 7.8% in the first quarter of the current financial year (April-June), attributed to good performance by the agriculture and financial sectors, according to official data released on Thursday.
• The World Bank says India is one of the fastest-growing economies of the world and is poised to continue on this path. However, the manufacturing sector growth decelerated to 4.7% in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, compared to 6.1% a year ago, the data suggests. India’s financial year runs from April to March.
• Indian media reports said the erratic monsoon, caused by the El Niño effect warming the eastern Pacific Ocean, is likely to moderate growth in the remaining three quarters of the year. India’s federal bank expects the country’s yearly growth rate at 6.5%.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://apnews.com/article/india-economic-growth-world-bank-statistics-output-da7b1ef2c633c63af2e3a3cba3f5383a_)

Arab News – How India’s suspension of sugar exports will affect import-reliant Arab countries

• Arab countries are braced for a sharp rise in the price of all things sweet after it emerged this week that India, a major supplier of agricultural products to import-reliant Middle East, plans to suspend sugar exports from this October until September next year.
• According to three Indian government sources who spoke to Reuters news agency, New Delhi imposed the 11-month ban — the first of its kind in seven years — mainly due to reduced cane yields caused by a lack of rain over the summer monsoon season.
• Reduced production in India and the country’s absence from the world market will undoubtedly cause price increases at a time when sugar was already trading at multi-year highs.
• There are now renewed fears of further inflation in global food markets, particularly in the Arab world, which buys much of its sugar from India.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.arabnews.com/node/2365276/middle-east)

Reuters – India sets September launch date for mission to study the sun

• India’s first space-based observatory to study the sun will be launched on Sept. 2, the country’s space agency said on Monday.
• The announcement, in a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, comes days after India became the first country to land a spacecraft on the unexplored south pole of the moon.
• The Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based solar probe, aims to study solar winds, which can cause disturbance on earth and are commonly seen as “auroras”. India has achieved a reputation for successful space launches at cut-throat costs. It’s latest moon mission had a budget of about $75 million- less than that of Hollywood space thriller “Gravity”.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-first-space-based-observatory-study-sun-be-launched-sept-2-space-agency-2023-08-28/)

The Economist – India’s scandal-hit Adani Group forges on

• Only seven months ago the Adani Group, India’s most valuable conglomerate at the time, looked as if it might topple. The multinational, which has interests in everything from rice to renewable energy, was accused of fraud, insider trading and fragile financing by Hindenburg Research, a New York-based short-selling firm. Though the group denied any wrongdoing, the valuation of Adani’s companies fell from over $200bn to under $100bn.
• The Hindenburg report and its aftermath have embarrassed not only the Adani Group but India. Following the report’s publication in January the Supreme Court ordered the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), a market regulator, to investigate its allegations. After its deadline was extended, SEBI filed a largely complete report to the court on August 25th.
• The question is whether all this is enough for investors to overlook the continuing stream of accusations against the group. One key investor, at least, is unperturbed. “Who wants to drive a car looking at [the] rear view mirror? Markets look forward,” says Rajiv Jain, chairman of gqg. As for the latest claims that the Adani family’s holdings may have been higher than understood: “We like more insider ownership—higher the better.”

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.economist.com/business/2023/08/31/indias-scandal-hit-adani-group-forges-on)

The Wall Street Journal – Manufacturers Leaving China Find a Home With Indian Startups

• In early 2020, as the pandemic was shutting down global commerce, a Pennsylvania company was having trouble getting its usual steel parts out of China. It stumbled on another possible option—in India.
• India has been trying to lure some of the world’s biggest companies to set up new factories after repeated lockdowns under Beijing’s zero-Covid policy and rising geopolitical tensions with the West prompted many firms to look for alternatives to China, in a strategy referred to as “China plus one.”
• Venture capital in India has taken note. Investors such as Peak XV, which was Sequoia Capital India until in June it announced a split from the U.S. firm, and Lightspeed are increasingly trying to back founders whose businesses involve boosting India’s global exports.
• No one expects India to replace China’s dominance as the global factory floor. India has struggled to expand its manufacturing sector, as firms faced red tape and weak infrastructure, while policy reversals have stung investors in the past.
• India’s manufactured exports were barely one-tenth of China’s in 2021, but they exceeded all other emerging markets except Mexico’s and Vietnam’s, according to World Bank data. Beijing’s tensions with the West have given Indian firms an opening to connect with specific industries in the U.S. and other markets

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.wsj.com/world/india/manufacturers-leaving-china-find-a-home-with-indian-startups-7e942e9b?mod=Searchresults_pos2&page=1)

The Guardian – How India’s moon landing has boosted its self image

• “I let out an involuntary whoop when it landed,” my friend Shivansh told me. He was travelling on London Underground at the time. “Everyone on the tube was staring at me.” Shivansh is just one of millions of Indians all over the world who are celebrating the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar exploration mission. Indians even broke YouTube’s record for livestreams, with more than 8 million people staying glued to their screens last Wednesday, as the spacecraft edged close to the lunar surface.
• Wheeling out the poverty trope was a poor choice, especially considering that the BBC is based in a country that shoulders much of the blame for the poverty faced by many Indians today. (It is estimated that Britain drained almost $45tn (£36tn) from India during the colonial period between 1765 and 1938.)
• The fact that India is now the first country to land a module near the lunar south pole proves that its space programme was more than a vanity project. For the first time, the world will have images from the moon’s south pole, which will have tremendous impacts for lunar research.
• India’s success in space was surprisingly cost-effective. In fact, the Chandrayaan-3 mission was successfully executed at a cost of $75m (£60m) – roughly the same budget as recent Bollywood film Adipurush.What Indians – and the world – saw with this mission is that things can also be pretty good there. They saw the resilience of India’s scientists, and the determination of its people to shake the dust off their problems and rise again.
• Ultimately, the success of Chandrayaan-3 means that Indians everywhere are a giant leap closer to being, as the great Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore said, “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”. And that in itself could be the most valuable and lasting thing to come out of this remarkable scientific feat.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/27/india-moon-landing-chandrayaan-3)

Reuters – Russia’s Putin to not visit India for G20 summit next month

• Russia will be represented by its foreign minister at the G20 summit in New Delhi, President Vladimir Putin told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a phone call on Monday where the two leaders also discussed bilateral ties.
• The two leaders also spoke about the planned expansion of the BRICS group of emerging economies – comprising India, Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa – as well as a summit of the G20 club of major economies that New Delhi will host next month.
• The Kremlin, which strongly denies the ICC allegations, has said Putin would also not attend the G20 gathering in India.
• Putin told Modi Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to a statement from the Indian government. Russia has sought to further strengthen already warm ties with India after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered sweeping Western sanctions on Moscow. India is a major buyer of Russian oil.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/world/russias-putin-discusses-bilateral-ties-brics-with-indias-modi-phone-call-2023-08-28/)

Bloomberg – Business Leaders Want G-20 to Adopt India’s Philanthropy Rule

• A taskforce comprising business leaders from the Group of 20 nations has recommended that every company contribute 0.2% of profits to a fund that will go toward achievement of sustainable development goals.
• The proposal is in line with India’s so-called corporate social responsibility law, which mandates a contribution of 2% of net income by large listed firms. 
• Over 1400 business leaders from across the world collaborated through the year to make 54 proposals on themes ranging from global trade to skilling. But the B-20 lacks an implementation mechanism and India is keen to set up a global institute to provide continuity and follow through on proposals made every year by the G-20 host country, Chandrasekaran said.
• Such an institute will monitor for effective international collaboration, according to Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman & Managing Director, Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd.
• Expanding G-20 to include the African union is among the other proposals made by the B-20. The world should start to focus on Africa for making it a base for food production, economic activities and digital initiatives, Sunil Mittal, the founder and chairman of Bharti Airtel Ltd. told Bloomberg.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-28/business-leaders-want-g20-to-adopt-india-s-philanthropy-rule#xj4y7vzkg)

The Guardian – Trade deal with India could be a double-edged sword for Sunak

• With a general election not far away and the economy still struggling, Rishi Sunak is on the hunt for good news. Next month he will be in New Delhi for the G20 summit – a visit that will be unusually rich with picture opportunities and chances to strike deals. Sunak’s business and trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, has been in India over the past few days, laying the ground for a string of announcements with her G20 counterparts.
• Agreement between the world’s fifth and sixth biggest economies (India and the UK respectively) to reduce tariffs on UK exports such as Scotch whisky and cars, and increase still further access for Indian workers to the UK, would be a big deal for Sunak.
• But there are issues worrying Downing Street. India already tops the list of nations sending citizens to the UK. Between June 2022 and June 2023, the number of Indian health and care workers entering the UK leapt by 81% from 18,570 to 33,669. Indians also topped other categories.
• In return for lowering tariffs on UK exports to Indian markets, Delhi is asking for more visas for skilled workers such as IT professionals who work for Indian technology companies that have invested in Britain. India also wants improved access for young Indians to the UK.
• Infosys applied for 2,500 visas for the UK in 2019, primarily so that it could bring in its staff to work on large outsourced IT contracts in the country. Being such a large enterprise, the company has the ear of the Indian government.
• The problem for Sunak is that a UK-India trade deal, if struck, is likely to be of considerable financial further benefit to the company in which his own wife already has a very large financial interest.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/aug/26/trade-deal-indian-sword-sunak-pm-wife-company-shareholder-no-10)

CNN – BRICS expansion is a big win for China. But can it really work as a counterweight to the West?

• When leaders of the BRICS nations gathered for group photos at the end of their summit in Johannesburg last week, it offered a glimpse of the contours of the new world order Beijing is trying to shape. 
• The summit was the largest the BRICS have ever held, with more than 60 countries attending alongside member nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• India and Brazil have expressed concerns about the bloc potentially becoming too antiWestern and dominated by Beijing, and some of the new members may be similarly skeptical, according to Legarda.
• The BRICS expansion is also likely to fuel competition – and potential friction – Analysis Media House: CNN Author: Nectar Gan Filed from: NA USA 10 between China and India, whose ties have already been strained by a simmering border conflict.
• The rivalry and tensions between China and India, as well as between Iran and Saudi Arabia, mean that issues they can agree upon and jointly act upon are unlikely to be significant in number and in nature, said Sun with the Stimson Center

(For detailed report click on the link – https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/28/china/china-brics-expansion-victory-intl-hnk/index.html)

Arab News – B20 Summit in India has relevance to Saudi diversification plan, Kingdom’s delegation chief says

• Saudi businesses were enriched by discussions held at the Business 20 Summit in India, the chief of the Kingdom’s delegation told Arab News on Sunday as he highlighted the relevance of various global topics to Saudi Arabia’s diversification plan.
• Vision 2030 is also expected to boost IndiaSaudi business relations, after the two countries established a high-level council after agreeing to form a strategic partnership in 2019.
• Indian businesses are keen on partnerships with the Kingdom, which, with annual growth of 8.7 percent in 2022, is the fastestgrowing G20 economy. India is second, with growth of 6.7 percent.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.arabnews.com/node/2362431/world)

Reuters – U.S. trade chief flags concerns over India’s license mandate for laptop, tablet imports

• U.S. trade chief Katherine Tai has raised concerns with India over the Asian nation’s new order mandating licenses for the import of laptops, tablets and personal computers, according to a statement.
• Tai was in India to join the G20 trade ministers’ meeting last week in the western state of Rajasthan. India’s new licensing regime, which is due to come into effect on November 1, aims to “ensure trusted hardware and systems” enter the nation. It also seeks to reduce dependence on imports, boost local manufacturing, and in part address the country’s trade imbalance with China, according to an Indian government official.
• India and the U.S. will also continue discussions to find a solution to the only bilateral dispute between the two nations at the World Trade Organisation, which involves measures by New Delhi on certain agricultural imports into the country, according to the statement. Six other disputes were mutually resolved earlier this year.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/us-trade-chief-flags-concerns-over-indias-license-mandate-laptop-tablet-imports-2023-08-27/)

BBC – Agnipath scheme: The pain of Nepal’s Gurkhas over Indian army’s new hiring plan

• For decades, Nepal has allowed its ethnic Gurkha soldiers to join the Indian army under a special agreement. The practice came to an abrupt halt last year after India introduced a controversial new army hiring plan, straining ties between the two neighbouring countries.
• After the end of colonial rule in 1947 a tripartite agreement between Nepal, India and Britain allowed Delhi and London to continue to recruit Gurkhas to their military. 
• But the arrangement with Delhi came to a halt last year after the Indian government announced Agnipath, a new hiring scheme for its soldiers. The rules also apply to the Gurkha soldiers who have historically served for much longer terms in both the Indian and British armies.  Prior to the new scheme, India on average recruited about 1,400 Nepali citizens into its Gurkha regiments every year. There are about 35,000 Nepali Gurkhas currently serving in the Indian army.
• Nepal suffered heavily due to a decade-long armed rebellion by Maoists that ended in 2006. Thousands of people were killed during the unrest. The country says it is not in a position to offer employment to all those who return from India.
• There have been calls in India as well to exempt the Nepali Gurkhas from the short term contracts. • Indian officials have hinted that if Gurkhas from Nepal do not take up short-term contracts, then the jobs could be distributed to others in India for the time being.
• Despite the stiff opposition, not everyone is resistant to the new hiring scheme. Nepalese Indian Gurkha veterans like Laxmikant Pandey argue that the Agnipath scheme has its advantages and should not be rejected outright.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66603133)

Bloomberg – Modi Weighs Continuing Free Grains Program Into Polls

• Indian officials are proposing to extend a free grains program well into next year’s national election season, according to people familiar with the matter, a move likely to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reelection bid for a third term.
• Extending the program until June next year coincides with the national vote that must be held by summer. Modi has polled above 60% in opinion surveys and is likely to lead his party to victory though there’s some voter discontent over rising unemployment and higher living costs.
• The free grains program has in part helped Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party to stay ahead of the opposition in the South Asian country, which accounts for nearly 30% of the world’s low-income population.

(For detailed report click on the link – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-28/modi-weighs-continuing-free-grains-program-into-election-season)

The report is curated by Dr Vinay Nalwa