Prime Minister Modi’s Iran Visit: Chabahar and Beyond
The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Iran, 22 May to 23 May 2016 has generated a good amount of enthusiasm in India. Simultaneously, it is also aimed at sending a clear signal to the international community that India is serious and means business about its intentions to play its legitimate role in the region while balancing out its friends across all spectrums of Islamic world.
Ostensibly the underlying aim of the visit is to boost Indian connectivity with the region by signing the India-Iran-Afghanistan Trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridors to facilitate trade with Afghanistan, Central Asia, Russia and Europe for utilizing Chabahar port as a hub, giving boost to Indian access to Afghanistan and creating the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC). Presence of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during the signing of the agreement in Tehran signifies the importance Afghanistan attaches to the Development of Chabahar so as to end its isolation and total reliance on Pakistan for sea connectivity.
Series of events beginning with the conclusion of US-Iran Nuclear agreement in 2015 have provided a window of opportunity to re engage on economic issues and explore new avenues for cooperation for the three countries. India looking for an opportunity to establish its foothold moved at a considerable pace through high level bilateral visits involving three prominent Cabinet Ministers and sealing bilateral agreements for stake in Iranian gas field Farzad B, committing US $ 150 million for development of Phase I of Chabahar port and explore laying of rail network from Chabahar to Zahedan and onward connectivity to Zeranj-Delaram road. India also committed to clearing the Iranian dues for oil imports totalling US $ 6.5 billion.
The significance of visit has to be seen beyond connectivity to Afghanistan, setting up of International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and enhancing Indo-Iran bilateral relations.
There are a few immediate takeaways from establishing Indian footprints in the region; most significant being India getting a foothold into the Strait of Hormuz and onwards to Persian Gulf and check the expanding Chinese designs in the region which it is aiming to achieve through development of Gwadar port and setting up of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC) besides expanding its economic relations with Iran. As per Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan it envisages Gwadar as a bridge between Central Asia, Middle East and South East Asia. However development of Chabahar with shorter and more reliable links to Central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan will facilitate faster trade to South East Asia in comparison to Gwadar.
Iran has been waiting for an opportunity to play a significant role in the region and specially in Afghanistan, which is its immediate neighbour to the East and shares approximately 930 kilometres long border with considerable influence on Afghanistan’s Shia population. Earlier Iran could not play an active role in the region due to US direct influence on Afghanistan and imposition of sanctions for trade and transit. Iran was also kept out of all peace negotiations with Taliban, last one being the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QGC) Forum – comprised of USA, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan, although China with just 76 kilometres of border through Wakhan Corridor with Afghanistan and with hardly any leverage with Taliban was included at the behest of Pakistan.
Near failure of talks due to Pakistan’s unwillingness to apply pressure on Taliban and Haqqani network and bring about any apparent change in ground situation in Afghanistan forced President Ghani to show his frustration with Pakistan and look for suitable options for a peaceful solution to its problems. Similar opinion was also expressed by USA State Department which stated, “We have consistently expressed our concerns at the highest level of the government of Pakistan about their continued tolerance for Afghan Taliban groups such as the Haqqani Network operating from Pakistani soil.” US frustration with Pakistan has become more profound with its Congress voting to increase restrictions on Pakistan and blocking immediate US $ 450 million in aid unless it meets certain conditions.
Iran therefore is a suitable and willing player to take an active role in bringing about stability in Afghanistan keeping in view its expanding ambitions to play a hands-on role in geo politics of the region, post removal of sanctions. With USA having expressed frustration with Pakistan due to its promoting proxies in Taliban and Haqqani network, it is likely to encourage an engagement between Iran and Afghanistan to the advantage of India. Afghan President looking for relevance in his country is likely to encourage Iran’s participation so as to bring a semblance of peace in the region.
Beyond expanding its footprints in its immediate neighbourhood, Iran is also looking for economic renaissance having been isolated for close to a decade. Chabahar provides it an opportunity to expand southwards since the development of the port will ease its reliance on exporting oil through Strait of Hormuz which has seen continued tensions due to changing dynamics of intra religious conflicts and hostilities with its immediate neighbours in the Gulf.
India during Iran’s years of isolation continued to engage with it deftly through trade and diplomatic engagement. In fact, Iran has been India’s second largest supplier of oil and gas. India did not miss the opportunity to consolidate this relationship with Iran as soon as sanctions were lifted so as to secure its interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia. Alongside India has also maintained a very mature engagement with other countries of Islamic world notably Saudi Arabia and UAE. It would be in India’s continued interest to maintain the momentum with respect to development of Chabahar and secure its strategic interests.
Draft ‘Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2016
- It seeks to establish DISTRICT ANTI- TRAFFICKING COMMITTEE
- The appropriate Government shall, by notification, constitute for every district, a District Anti Trafficking Committee, for exercising the powers and performing such functions and duties in relation to prevention, rescue, protection, medical care, psychological assistance, skill development, need based rehabilitation of victims as may be prescribed.
- The District Anti Trafficking Committee shall consist of the following members, namely:- (i) the District Magistrate or District Collector- Chairperson; (ii) two social workers out of which one shall be a woman to be nominated by the District Judge – Member; (iii) one representative from the District Legal Services Authority nominated by the District Judge- Member; (iv) District Officer of the Social Justice or Women and Child Development Department of the concerned States/UTs- Member Secretary
- It Seeks to establish STATE ANTI-TRAFFICKING COMMITTEE
- State Anti–Trafficking Committee constituted for a State/UT, shall consist of the following members, namely:- (i) the Chief Secretary- Chairperson; (ii) Secretary to the Department of the State dealing with Women and Child-Member; (iii) Secretary of the State Home Department – Member; (iv) Secretary of the State Labour Department- Member; (v) Secretary from State Health Department- Member; (vi) Director General of Police of the concerned State- Member; (vii) Secretary of the State Legal Services Authority – Member;
(viii) two social workers out of which one shall be a woman and to be nominated by the Chief Justice of the High Court – Member.
- State Anti–Trafficking Committee constituted for a State/UT, shall consist of the following members, namely:- (i) the Chief Secretary- Chairperson; (ii) Secretary to the Department of the State dealing with Women and Child-Member; (iii) Secretary of the State Home Department – Member; (iv) Secretary of the State Labour Department- Member; (v) Secretary from State Health Department- Member; (vi) Director General of Police of the concerned State- Member; (vii) Secretary of the State Legal Services Authority – Member;
- It seeks to establish Central Anti- Trafficking Advisory Board
- The Central Government shall constitute a Central Anti–Trafficking Advisory Board headed by the Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development and representatives from the concerned Ministries, State/UTs and members from civil society organisations as may be prescribed
- It seeks to establish Special Agency,for investigation of offences under the provisions of the Act.
- Support Services:-
- Protection Homes:-Protection Homes shall provide for shelter, food, clothing, counselling and medical care that is necessary for the rescued victims and such other services in the manner, as may be prescribed.
- Special Homes:-One or more Special Homes in each district for the purpose of providing long- term institutional support for the rehabilitation of victims, in the manner as may be prescribed.
- Other facets of the bills:-
- Rehabilitation and social integration
- Employment opportunities and placement agencies
- Penal Provisions:-
- Punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 3 years or with fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees, or with both.
- It also has provision of confiscation,forfeiture and attachment of property of the offender
- It also aims to provide Special Courts, anti-trafficking fund etc.
Facts:-
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Meghalaya tried his hand in beating Khasi traditional drum ‘Ka Bom.’
Recent Posts
- In the Large States category (overall), Chhattisgarh ranks 1st, followed by Odisha and Telangana, whereas, towards the bottom are Maharashtra at 16th, Assam at 17th and Gujarat at 18th. Gujarat is one State that has seen startling performance ranking 5th in the PAI 2021 Index outperforming traditionally good performing States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but ranks last in terms of Delta
- In the Small States category (overall), Nagaland tops, followed by Mizoram and Tripura. Towards the tail end of the overall Delta ranking is Uttarakhand (9th), Arunachal Pradesh (10th) and Meghalaya (11th). Nagaland despite being a poor performer in the PAI 2021 Index has come out to be the top performer in Delta, similarly, Mizoram’s performance in Delta is also reflected in it’s ranking in the PAI 2021 Index
- In terms of Equity, in the Large States category, Chhattisgarh has the best Delta rate on Equity indicators, this is also reflected in the performance of Chhattisgarh in the Equity Pillar where it ranks 4th. Following Chhattisgarh is Odisha ranking 2nd in Delta-Equity ranking, but ranks 17th in the Equity Pillar of PAI 2021. Telangana ranks 3rd in Delta-Equity ranking even though it is not a top performer in this Pillar in the overall PAI 2021 Index. Jharkhand (16th), Uttar Pradesh (17th) and Assam (18th) rank at the bottom with Uttar Pradesh’s performance in line with the PAI 2021 Index
- Odisha and Nagaland have shown the best year-on-year improvement under 12 Key Development indicators.
- In the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu and, the bottom three performers are Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers were Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram; and, the bottom three performers are Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya.
- Among the 60:40 division States, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the top three performers and Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland; and, the bottom three performers are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
- Among the 60:40 division States, Goa, West Bengal and Delhi appear as the top three performers and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura were the top three performers and Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were the bottom three performers
- West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were the top three States amongst the 60:40 division States; while Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan appeared as the bottom three performers
- In the case of 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura were the top three performers and Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand featured as the bottom three
- Among the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and the bottom three performers are Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Goa
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland and the bottom three performers are Manipur and Assam
In a diverse country like India, where each State is socially, culturally, economically, and politically distinct, measuring Governance becomes increasingly tricky. The Public Affairs Index (PAI 2021) is a scientifically rigorous, data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the Sub-national level and ranks the States and Union Territories (UTs) of India on a Composite Index (CI).
States are classified into two categories – Large and Small – using population as the criteria.
In PAI 2021, PAC defined three significant pillars that embody Governance – Growth, Equity, and Sustainability. Each of the three Pillars is circumscribed by five governance praxis Themes.
The themes include – Voice and Accountability, Government Effectiveness, Rule of Law, Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption.
At the bottom of the pyramid, 43 component indicators are mapped to 14 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant to the States and UTs.
This forms the foundation of the conceptual framework of PAI 2021. The choice of the 43 indicators that go into the calculation of the CI were dictated by the objective of uncovering the complexity and multidimensional character of development governance
The Equity Principle
The Equity Pillar of the PAI 2021 Index analyses the inclusiveness impact at the Sub-national level in the country; inclusiveness in terms of the welfare of a society that depends primarily on establishing that all people feel that they have a say in the governance and are not excluded from the mainstream policy framework.
This requires all individuals and communities, but particularly the most vulnerable, to have an opportunity to improve or maintain their wellbeing. This chapter of PAI 2021 reflects the performance of States and UTs during the pandemic and questions the governance infrastructure in the country, analysing the effectiveness of schemes and the general livelihood of the people in terms of Equity.
Growth and its Discontents
Growth in its multidimensional form encompasses the essence of access to and the availability and optimal utilisation of resources. By resources, PAI 2021 refer to human resources, infrastructure and the budgetary allocations. Capacity building of an economy cannot take place if all the key players of growth do not drive development. The multiplier effects of better health care, improved educational outcomes, increased capital accumulation and lower unemployment levels contribute magnificently in the growth and development of the States.
The Pursuit Of Sustainability
The Sustainability Pillar analyses the access to and usage of resources that has an impact on environment, economy and humankind. The Pillar subsumes two themes and uses seven indicators to measure the effectiveness of government efforts with regards to Sustainability.
The Curious Case Of The Delta
The Delta Analysis presents the results on the State performance on year-on-year improvement. The rankings are measured as the Delta value over the last five to 10 years of data available for 12 Key Development Indicators (KDI). In PAI 2021, 12 indicators across the three Pillars of Equity (five indicators), Growth (five indicators) and Sustainability (two indicators). These KDIs are the outcome indicators crucial to assess Human Development. The Performance in the Delta Analysis is then compared to the Overall PAI 2021 Index.
Key Findings:-
In the Scheme of Things
The Scheme Analysis adds an additional dimension to ranking of the States on their governance. It attempts to complement the Governance Model by trying to understand the developmental activities undertaken by State Governments in the form of schemes. It also tries to understand whether better performance of States in schemes reflect in better governance.
The Centrally Sponsored schemes that were analysed are National Health Mission (NHM), Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS), Mahatma Gandh National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SmSA) and MidDay Meal Scheme (MDMS).
National Health Mission (NHM)
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)
MID- DAY MEAL SCHEME (MDMS)
SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SMSA)
MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)