Deepak Dwivedi
Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative of changing the ‘Look East Policy’ to ‘Act East Policy’, a remarkable shift is taking place in the socio-political landscape of the Northeast region where internal strife and insurgency had impeded the development process for decades. The reduction of ‘disturbed areas’ under the purview of the AFSPA in Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland is the latest, and surest, indicator of ushering in progress and development in the region. In the Cover Story, this week takes an overview of the transformative process that is underway in the Northeast along with a supporting story focusing on Assam, the biggest state in the region.
As part of its Tide Turner Challenge, the UNEP has been doing exemplary work to address the issue of plastic pollution. In the Centerspread, we profile three such TTC champions and give a brief account of their contributions. While one of them is involving people in beach clean-up activities around a temple in a Gujarat town, the other began with cleaning up a drain choked with plastic waste near his school at Azamgarh in UP and is now spreading awareness in the community about cleanup drives and plantation. Then there is this dynamic, young writer from Mumbai who has made a tremendous impact through his innovative communication efforts. The edition also takes note of the substantive activity being carried out by another UN body, in a different field. Our report dwells on how the UNODC has been working with authorities in Senegal on developing SOPs for the identification of victims and the investigation of human trafficking cases.
Keeping in view the enormous significance of the India-Nepal Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba, we made the Himalayan kingdom the focus of our Globetrotting feature. The two leaders made a sincere attempt to iron out differences, and consolidate the friendly relations between the two countries, besides announcing a plethora of development projects. An accompanying box explains how the fate of Sri Lanka and Pakistan has made Nepal wiser about the ominous consequences of falling into China’s debt-trap diplomacy. In another development, the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement has opened doors like never before. The ECTA would turbo-charge the trade between the two countries to nearly $45-50 billion within five years. We cover this news development on another page.
Going by the valuable feedback received from our readers, we kick off a new feature this week, the Newstrack. The page encapsulates key news developments of the past seven days from within India and abroad. We earnestly hope this new offering comes up to your expectations.
Enjoy the week’s package!
