G20 podium
The choice of Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, overlooking the claims of Rani Pratibha Singh, symbolises a major shift, not just in the Congress, but the entire Indian polity. Our Cover Story deciphers this welcome transformation and explains how it has been influenced by the phenomenal rise of PM Modi on Indian political firmament. PM Modi, says our story, has in many ways altered the grammar of Indian politics and the contours of political culture in which the dynasts and the maharajahs are passé. We also include on the front page a brief report about the latest skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops on the Arunachal border.
We zoom-in on the ‘boom amid global doom’ on our centrespread pages. Our report speaks of the aggressive stance adopted by the Modi Government in signing free trade agreements with various countries. It focuses on the India and the GCC decision to pursue an FTA between the two regions and resumption of negotiations in this regard. With graphics and charts, our story elaborates on the entire subject.
On Rising India page, we carry an exciting story about prosperity born out of trade and investment. Apart from being the story of an Asian miracle and a corollary of the decline of the West and the rise of the East, it is the story of India’s growing friendship with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The trade between GCC and India, which was less than $6 billion in 2001, is today around $160 billion, according to this intensely-researched report. .
The G20 Podium sums up the proceedings of the two side events that took place this week during the first meeting of the Development Working Group (DWG), besides carrying an exclusive report on India’s focus on Global South. In the event, themed ‘Infusing New LiFE into Green Development’, India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said as the world reels under pressure to keep carbon emissions low, it needs to shed “westernised” learning and look for new models of development. India, says our report quoting Kant, would push for homegrown and sustainable development plans based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative. The report on the other side session is about Information Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s emphasis on India being a “digital powerhouse”. It also incorporates UNSGSA’s remarks in which she advocated for India and EU’s greater role in shaping ‘data’ laws across the G20 member and invitee countries.
Among the top news stories on the domestic front is the political storm that kicked up over Maharashtra Governor’s remarks about Maratha icon Shivaji and the former’s attempts at damage-control. As the chorus for his removal rose across the state, the Governor wrote a two-page letter to the Union Home Minister giving his side of the story, says our report. Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly pushing for permanent membership for India at a ‘reformed’ UNSC is the top news development covered on the World Page.
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