New Laws of Commercial Registration and Trade Names take effect on Thursday    Civil Defense warns of heavy rains across Saudi Arabia until Monday    Saudi Exchange suspends trading of seven companies over financial disclosure delays    New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    EU preparing 'further countermeasures' to protect its interest, von der Leyen says    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Israel announces expansion of military operation in Gaza to seize 'large areas' of land    US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias    Danish prime minister refutes US claim on Greenland on visit to the Arctic territory    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Modi's tough challenge
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 13 - 04 - 2015


Hussein Shobokshi


India is slowly but surely strengthening its position on the world stage as a major political and economic player. The recent visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France was another step in that direction. He managed to secure a major deal to purchase the latest French military fighters and got a phenomenal deal with Airbus, the giant European aircraft manufacturer to open a factory in India.
On May 16, 2014, the BJP, India's Hindu nationalist party, resoundingly won the country's national election by seizing 282 of the 543 seats in India's lower house of Parliament and crushing the alliance led by the Congress Party. Though the BJP got just 30 percent of the popular vote, in terms of seats it was the biggest victory for a single party in decades. As the longtime chief minister of the prosperous western state of Gujarat, Modi, son of a tea seller and born into a low caste, had already achieved remarkable political success.
Above all, Modi will be judged on his ability to revive the economy which he has repeatedly said is his top priority. From 2005 to 2007, India grew at a rate of over 9 percent year. Now it's about 5 percent, a figure Western countries would love to have but one that is not enough for India, which, given its size, must generate millions of new jobs every year. Retail inflation, at about 8.6 percent, is high and the fiscal deficit wide. While India was vulnerable to the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009, many also blame Congress for inaction and its inability to pass pro-business reforms.
Often fiery and intermittently reasonable, sometimes banal but occasionally innovative, Narendra Modi's statements on foreign policy over the past few years have been so meager and uneven that they cannot readily serve as a guide to how he will act.
Modi's tenure will be defined by how he responds to specific challenges. The first is economic, where everything depends on his ability to boost growth. Besides strengthening India's economic partnerships with the US, Europe and Asia, a stronger economy will give the country the strength it needs to play a larger role on the world stage.
The US is not only one of India's most important trading partners, it also has a large, influential ethnic-Indian population. Each nation needs the other as a counterweight to China and to stave off extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “You can't wish away the United States," says Sanjay Puri, Chairman of the United States India Political Action Committee, based in Washington. “There's a real opportunity now, despite everything, for a reset.”
India matters a great deal and will continue to do so as its success is vital for the global economy.


Clic here to read the story from its source.