Browsing Category

India

85 posts

Taking the high road: India infrastructure drive counters China

China’s renaming of the Indian frontier village of Zemithang, in the disputed region of Arunachal Pradesh, has sparked tension between the two Asian powers. The area remains disputed to this day, and both India and China have launched major construction drives to reinforce their positions. While India has increased its defence capabilities and invested in connectivity projects to boost civilian presence, Beijing has developed “xiaokang”, or well-to-do villages, along the Line of Actual Control, which New Delhi fears could be used for dual purposes in the event of a conflict.

Indian budget airline Go First files for bankruptcy

Go First, India’s fifth-largest domestic carrier, has filed for bankruptcy protection due to “faulty” engines from Pratt & Whitney, its exclusive engine supplier for the Airbus A320neo fleet. The airline has been in a dispute with the US aerospace company over issues that cost it US$1.32 billion in lost revenues and additional expenses, leading to the grounding of 25 aircraft. The bankruptcy was a necessary step, said Go First, due to an “ever-increasing number of failing engines” and Pratt & Whitney’s failure to comply with an arbitration order.

Joy, fear as India’s population becomes world’s biggest

A young mother in India, Manu Bala, gave birth to her newborn daughter in a government hospital, contributing to India becoming the world’s most populous nation. While elated about becoming a mother, Bala’s husband is concerned about the challenges India faces with its growing population and hopes to provide a good life for his daughter.

Ousted ex-Zilingo’s CEO sues investor US$100m for defamation

Ankiti Bose, the former co-founder and CEO of Zilingo, has filed a defamation lawsuit against angel investor Mahesh Murthy for $100m. Bose accused Murthy of falsely accusing her of taking money illegally out of her startup and causing damage to her name, reputation and image through an article in the Outlook Business magazine. Although Murthy did not name Bose in the article, Bose has claimed that the description in the article was far too specific about her and couldn’t have meant anyone else. Murthy is the co-founder of early-stage venture capital company Seedfund, which was one of the first investors in Zilingo.

Chairman of Indian national accreditation body alleges ‘questionable’ accreditation grades awarded to its institutions

Bhushan Patwardhan, the chairman of India’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), resigned in March after publicly alleging that Indian colleges and institutes were obtaining ‘questionable’ accreditation grades through malpractice. Patwardhan called for an independent inquiry into the University Grants Commission’s decision to appoint an “additional chairman without any legal authority”. Since 2013, NAAC accreditation has been a mandatory requirement for all higher education institutions in India. However, the assessment process is highly complex and accusations of corruption and inefficiency have bogged down the agency.

Fake wheelchair users on flights to and from India

Screenshots of a post on the “Singapore Airlines Krisflyer/PPS Club Frequent Flyers” Facebook group went viral after a woman complained about the lack of wheelchair assistance for her mother. Responding users defended Singapore Airlines, citing the misuse of wheelchair services by “fake wheelchair users” from India to bypass immigration and security queues. This issue has been reported by Indian mainstream media, Times of India, in 2018. The misuse of wheelchair services at airports is quite rampant in India, where not all disabilities are visible.

Bloomberg: India producing graduates with worthless degree

Bloomberg reported India’s $117 billion education industry generates unemployed graduates with worthless degrees, attending substandard private colleges offering outdated curriculums and lacking practical experience. As a result, half of all Indian graduates are deemed unemployable due to systemic issues in education.

Tibet govt-in-exile defends Dalai Lama’s “innocent grandfatherly affectionate demeanor”, accuses “pro-Chinese sources” for viral video

Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration, has defended the Dalai Lama against allegations of impropriety stemming from a viral video showing him kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to “suck his tongue”. Tsering claimed that the clip had been “tailored” and misinterpreted, and that the spiritual leader had been unfairly labelled with hurtful names. The incident took place in late February at the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala, India, where he met with over 100 young students who had just graduated from the Indian M3M Foundation. The viral video has drawn criticism from many people who consider the behavior to be inappropriate and contradictory to the Dalai Lama’s image as a revered spiritual leader.

Dalai Lama apologised for kissing boy and asking him to ‘suck my tongue’

The 14th Dalai Lama apologizes for inappropriate behaviour after a viral video surfaced of him kissing a young boy on the lips and asking him to “suck his tongue”. The spiritual leader explained that he often teases people he meets in an “innocent and playful way”, and regrets the incident.

Singapore gets caught up by Chinese clandestine propaganda operation in India

Indian journalists and researchers have been approached by alleged Chinese agents who offered them monetary rewards to cooperate on projects or write articles on security and foreign policy, according to reports in the Indian media. The agents reportedly used fake credentials and claimed to be from Singapore-based institutions. Two individuals, who claimed to be working for the National University of Singapore and Singapore Institute of International Affairs respectively, contacted journalists and researchers via social media and email. Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong later confirmed that the individuals in question did not exist and their accounts were fake. Experts believe the incident is part of a clandestine propaganda operation by China, with the aim of influencing Indian journalists and researchers in their writings.