A load of crap from an idle brain

Russia on Friday became the third country after the US and France to sign a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with India since this country acquired the waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The agreement was signed in the presence of President Dmitry Medvedev and PM Manmohan Singh.

In the initial stages, Russia will help India build two additional nuclear power plants at Kundakulum. Even before the NSG waiver, Russia was helping India build two 1,000 MW nuclear power plants at the same site. The Russians, however, had to wait for the NSG waiver to India for a more more focused nuclear cooperation. More such power plants of Russian design, according to the two sides, will come up at other places in the country. The location for at least two more nuclear power plants is being finalised.

The modalities of the agreement had been thrashed out in November 2007 during Singh’s visit to Moscow but India refrained from signing it citing the need for a clearance from the NSG.

The two sides also signed agreements in other fields like defence, space, trade and commerce.

Full article here

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After a 8 year hiatus, the Democrats are back in power.  Looking at the way with which the previous Democratic President, Bill Clinton left, its a no-brainer to see that the Republican government under George Bush has screwed up not only America, but the whole world itself.  Its been a systematic destruction of ‘Brand America’ by George Bush and his government.

Though Bush has been the best President when it came to India-US relations, it needs to be seen how Obama would take the already warm relations further.  It would be an interesting first 100 days to see how Obama would start attacking the domestic as well as foreign issues facing America.  The economy is in the ICU, the war in Iraq is still continuing, Afghanistan is on a boil with active support of the Taliban by the rogue Pakistani intelligence unit, ISI. North Korea behaves erratically.  Russia under Putin has transformed radically.  There are indications of a new cold war starting.  China is still dumping goods into the US.  America is not loved globally as before. Every terrorist group on this earth wants to have a go at the US.

The real challenge for Obama was not winning the elections. The anti-incumbency factor assured his victory. His real challenges start now.

Above picture courtesy: BBC

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For all that they claim, when it came to the crunch, the only man standing was Manmohan Singh and his convictions. When history will be written, Manmohan Singh will be credited with 2 of the most path breaking changes in the history of India.

• Liberalizing the economy in the 90s as Finance Minister with Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.

• Breaking the shackles of nuclear isolation in 2008

Its an envious stature for a person who was always mentioned as the “reluctant PM” unlike so many of his detractors and rivals who believe the PM’s post is god given for them.

Encyclopedias of data are around to stress either sides of the nuclear deal.  Only time will tell who was right or wrong. As of now, let’s see how this deal will affect India.

The deal with the US entails India to continue with its dual path of nuclear technology; for both military as well as civilian uses (energy, medical, space etc).  The nuclear reactors for civilian purposes will be open to IAEA inspections.  The reactors meant for military purposes will be out of bounds for the IAEA. India can buy / tie-up for nuclear material and technology from any country.   In fact, India has already signed a treaty with France that has given it unlimited access to technology as well as reprocessing of the spent fuel.  A similar deal with Russia is expected to be signed when the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev visits India in December. India can still pursue its nuclear weapons technology without any hindrance. In short, the world now, has the 6^th declared nuclear power in the form of India.

If India explodes a nuclear bomb (for testing purposes)

The US will stop all nuclear co-operation.  India will have to return all the fuel given to it till then.  There will be a one year cooling down period where both parties (India & USA) will talk, deliberate and break heads on how to go along or if not they should part.  During this one year period, if they reach a deal, they continue or else its all over between them.

How does this affect India’s deal with France (already signed, details yet to be released) or Russia (details of which will be available only after the December signing), will be only known in some time to come.

India’s position on nuclear testing

Soon after the nuclear testing in 1998, the Vajpayee led BJP government declared a unilateral moratorium over further testing.  The Vajpayee government assured the world, that it would keep its promise of keeping a lid on further testing.  So, that demolishes all the opposition that BJP has over testing.  The Congress government has merely reiterated what the BJP government had proclaimed in 1998.  Its an accepted fact that India no longer needs any more testing (according to scientists and the party in power in 1998).  Any more noise that the BJP makes over this issue is just plain politicking which can be ignored.

Economic benefits for India due to the nuclear deal

• The agreement could open up around $27 billion in investments in 18-20 nuclear plants over the next 15 years, according to the Confederation of Indian Industry.

• By 2030, the overall economic benefits that will accrue to India’s economy as a result of nuclear trade could touch $500 billion, says Imagindia Institute, an Indian lobby group.

• The deal is expected to double nuclear power’s share in India’s electricity supply to five to seven per cent in the next two decades.

• With nuclear fuel in short supply, India’s nuclear power plants are running at 55 per cent of their capacity of about 4,000 megawatts.

• India’s electricity supply, about 15 per cent short of demand in peak hours, will get a boost after the deal, but any new nuclear power plant may take a decade to be completed, leaving the country dependent of coal and liquid fuels.

• Indian media say the country’s monopoly Nuclear Power Corp has tentatively picked four suppliers, including US-based Westinghouse Electric and France’s Areva, for planned new projects. Westinghouse is a unit of Toshiba Corp. Areva said on Monday that it hoped to sign a contract with Indian authorities to deliver two advanced EPR reactors.

• India is also reported to be negotiating with General Electric, Hitachi and Russia’s atomic energy agency Rosatom.

• Russia is already building two 1,000 megawatt reactors at Kudankulam in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as part of a deal signed in 1988. Indian officials say the two countries will begin discussions on a multi-billion dollar agreement to build four more nuclear reactors in Kudankulam which has been delayed because of international restrictions against New Delhi. Russian nuclear reactors cost up to $2 billion each but India could expect to get a hefty discount on such a major deal, as Russia competes with the United States for influence in India.

Above info courtesy: IBNlive

This is not to count the approximate generation capacity of 60,000 MW of power by nuclear means by the year 2030 and the billions of dollars of technology exchange between India and the other countries in Space technology, Medicine, Science and other high tech industries.

Why is the Left against the deal?

Simply because their masters in China have paid them to behave that way.  The Left (CPI – CPM) never had any issues with China being a nuclear power or their nuclear testing. They sided with China during the 1962 war.  Its just natural that the mongrel is being faithful to the master.  The Commies have problems with everything US and when asked why they were not complaining against the Indian deal with France, they had no comments.  That simply shows how hollow their ideology is.  They love to oppose for the sake of opposing.

Why is BJP against the deal?

Because they just cant believe that a person who was so reluctant to be the Prime Minister has pulled off the deal.  Its a known fact that the BJP was on the verge of signing the NPT deal and giving away the nuclear sovereignty on a platter.  Even though the BJP was in power when the nuclear testing happened, its the Manmohan Singh government that has brought India out of a 34 year nuclear isolation.  They simply can’t accept the fact that their Iron man (sic) LK Advani, the perennial PM in waiting couldn’t get a chance to negotiate the deal.  Its a plain and simple case of the fox that didnt get the grapes and declared it sour.

Why the SP is in favour of this deal?

The Amar Singh – Mulayam Singh combo of Samajwadi Party needed someone to cling on to.  The Mayawati government was hot on the heels of the SP duo in UP fostering cases of corruption against them, hence the temporary deal with Congress.

So, will the Congress win the elections on this issue?

NO.  They wont.  The Indian electorate still loves mandir, masjid, gurudwara, church, SC, ST, OBC, hindutva, swadeshi, sycophancy, religion, region, family kinda politics.  And then they wonder why the country is so screwed up.

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Like someone mentioned, the only places of mourning after the NSG nod is Beijing, Islamabad and the headquarters of BJP and Communists. The BJP was the one who started the whole deal by starting talks with the US.  The BJP was on the verge of  signing the NPT which succesive Indian governments have vehemently opposed signing saying that its a discriminatory treaty.

What the Congress has managed is a far far superior deal than what BJP could do.  No wonder the heart burn among the chaddi gang and the name calling of the Prime Minister.  They simply cant believe that the wily sardar has simply stolen the thunder from right under their nose.

As for the commies, no comments.  One doesnt need to bother much about mad barking dogs.  Prakash Carrot Karat, Bardhan, Raja (all are on the Chinese payroll and hence loyal pets to their masters). They thrive in the gutters and are better left there.

Meanwhile i would love to see Advani’s sorry face.  He’s nowhere to be seen these days.  Maybe he’s reconciled to the fact that he might never be able to become the Prime Minister of India

The group of nations which regulates the global nuclear trade has approved a US proposal to lift restrictions on selling nuclear technology to India. The controversial deal now needs to be ratified by the US Congress before it can be implemented.

India says the deal is vital for it to meet its civil energy demands. The approval came after India pledged to keep its nuclear non-proliferation commitments and to uphold a voluntary moratorium on testing atomic weapons.

The real leaders in the whole deal has been none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and George Bush. Though Bush had nothing to lose even in case the deal fell through, it was Manmohan Singh who staked his career and reputaion at the altar of the nuclear deal.  He’s been called the “weakest Prime Minister” by the eternal Prime minister in waiting LK Advani (he never will sit on that seat).  After decimating the opposition in the no confidence deal, the Prime Minister has marshalled his troops for a fine victory at the NSG.

For months, the oscillation continued till Manmohan Singh upped the ante saying he could not renege on this international commitment on a deal he firmly believed was the best for India. Despite critics from within his party, the support of the Gandhis gave him the backing he needed and it was a transformed prime minister who faced Parliament this July in a dramatic vote of confidence.

Eventually the government emerged victorious with a new ally and without the Left. Closely watching India’s domestic battle over the deal was the White House, the deal a personal legacy for an embattled President Bush. After the Iraq fiasco, the Indo-US nuclear agreement was seen by him as a foreign policy coup and a huge opportunity for American business, something he was willing to go the extra mile for.

On Saturday, as China threatened a walk out, President Bush picked up the phone and called his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, a toned down version of his infamous, ‘you are with us, or against us’ rhetoric.  A pact clinched by two men who couldn’t be more unlike each other, one a flamboyant Texan known for his foreign policy gaffes, the other a mild mannered economist turned politician.

In the end however, the two men came together to push through a historic deal for India amid huge domestic and international opposition.

Above pictures and news courtesy: IBNlive, NDTV, Atomic Archive

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Leander Paes & Lukas Dlouhy

Some great news in tennis for India.  Leander Paes has reached the finals of both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles at the US Open.

Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy sprinted into the men’s doubles final by pulverising Argentine duo Maximo Gonzalez and Juan Monaco 6-2, 6-0 in just 46 minutes.  (Lines courtesy: Rediff)

Cara Black

Meanwhile in the mixed doubles, Paes and his partner Cara Black of Zimbabwe beat Nadia Petrova and Jonas Bjorkman 6-4, 6-4 to reach the finals.

The last time Leander Paes achieved such a result was in the 1999 Wimbledon.  Will he be able to repeat this feat at the last Grand Slam of the year ?

Above pictures courtesy: Getty Images & Wikipedia

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After all the overhyped candidates in tennis, long jump, boxing, shooting and archery fizzled out, the news about Sushil Kumar winning the bronze in the freestyle 68kgs wrestling is indeed heartening.

Wrestler Sushil Kumar gave India one more reason to won cheer when he won the bronze medal in the freestyle 66kg category at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday.

Sushil defeated Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan 3-1 in the repechage match of the men’s freestyle wrestling 66kg to win India’s India’s first wrestling medal since the 1952 Helsinki Games.  He is only the second Indian wrestler after Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav to win an Olympic medal. Jadhav had won a bronze medal in the 1952 Games.

In the earlier rounds of repechage Sushil overcame the challenge of USA’s Doug Schwab and Belarrussian Albert Batyrov in the first two repechage rounds. Sushil had lost to Ukrainian Andriy Stadnik in his quarter-final bout.

This is also the first time since 1952 that India has two Olympic medals. Earlier, Abhinav Bindra won first-ever Olympics gold medal for the country in the 10meter air rifle event.

Update – Vijender Kumar assured of bronze in 75kg boxing

Vijender Kumar assured India of yet another medal when he entered the semi-finals of the middleweight (75kg) category on Wednesday. Vijender defeated Ecuador’s Carlos Gongora 9-4 at the Workers’ Gymnasium.

In the Olympic boxing event even the losing semifinalists get a bronze medal. Earlier, Jitender Kumar lost his 51kg quarter-final bout and missed the Olympic medal by a whisker. Jitender lost to European champion Georgy Balakshin of Russia in the last eight stage 15-11.

Above picture and news courtesy: IBNlive

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When it comes to sports, the action never stops. As soon as the Premiership, Champions League and the Indian Premier League came to a close, we have the Euro 2008. So, who are my favourites? Well, this time, i just want to relax and watch the matches and not worry about the results. 3 of my favourite teams are in Group C – Netherlands, Italy & France.

I have got an exam on Tuesday and am yet to open the books. Heck, football is more important. Yay

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Finished the book more than a week ago, but couldnt find time to review it. Its a pretty good read if you are someone in the marketing or management field. Also a must read for all the multinationals who plan to setup their shop in India. According to Rama, the main problem with the MNCs entering India is that they think the world is one homogenous market. They believe, what works in the Americas, Europe, Asia has to work in India too. Its because of such thoughts that many of the multinationals have not managed to penetrate the Indian markets. After spending billions and being in India for more than 15 years, Coke and Pepsi still dont make profits. But they chug on cos they learn something new every day about the Indian consumer and the market.

Other notable flop in the Indian market is Kellogs cereals. The company couldnt understand that Indians prefer a hot steaming breakfast every morning, instead of cereals dunked in cold milk. Even if the lady in the household is working, the kitchen in an Indian household starts buzzing very early in the morning. Rama fills up the book with lots of figures and stats to back up her claim. Quite an interesting read.

Most market analysts and business strategists bark up the wrong tree when they set out to evaluate the india opportunity by asking the question, ‘When will India have the per capital income and infrastructure of China, the westernization and per-capita consumption of Brazil, the education levels of Russia, the institutional framework and maturity of US?’ What theyare actually asking is, ‘When will India become like someplace else?’

The correct answer to this incorrect question is ‘probably never’; certainly not in the lifespan of most people reading this book! That is the most important truth about India. To use a popular Indian phrase and the title of the book, ‘We are like that only! Mind it’ (loosely translated, it means ‘deal with it’!) Evaluating India through a comparative lens will lead to the inevitable conclusion that now will never ever be a good time to enter a market of billion consumers. US$700 billion GDP and growing at 8 to 9 percent, because it will probably never catch up with the benchmark ‘someplace else’.

However, when evaluated through a standalone lens there are no suprises here and it’s clearly a mixed verdict. The glass of market attractiveness is half full and half empty. However, there are several signs that would lead one to believe that the glass is filling – maybe not as fast as we would like to, but the water level is definitely rising with each passing year.

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