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Dear Reader,
India’s semiconductor ambitions are palpable, with massive incentives being put on the table to entice the big players to set up shop in the country. However, the results have been indifferent so far, with Foxconn, a major player, recently pulling out of its investment in Gujarat.
The India Forum argues that more than who is in play, Indian policy should examine if we should really enter the ‘chip war’ - which is money and resource-intense – and pivot instead to creating conditions through diplomacy and strategy to ensure a perennial supply of semiconductor chips, irrespective of the prevailing geopolitics.
In Kashmir, the relentless pressure of living in a conflict zone with the attendant violence, shutdowns and protests, in the past decades, has seen citizens take refuge in the illusory sanctuary of drugs. An addiction that is now taking a severe toll, especially on women. Article 14 reports from Srinagar that stigmatised and ostracised for their dependence, Kashmiri women are systematically denied access to institutional care for de-addiction. Adding to their travails is that while India has four drug de-addiction centres exclusively for women, not one is in Jammu and Kashmir -- the state with the highest incidence of substance abuse in the country.
The acquisition of land for the second phase of the Jewar International Airport in Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh has raised hackles with the local villagers who claim that they have not received compensation for their land as mandated. While they affirm that they are averse to “standing in the way of development”, they also assert that they will not accept “arbitrary changes in norms” and the use of strong-arm tactics by the state; and have threatened to boycott the forthcoming general elections. The government, in turn, argues that compensation has been provided on the basis of the Right to Fair Compensation Act of 2013. The Probe reports from Ranhera village in the region.
The Supreme Court’s decision, slated for later this week, on the constitutionality of the abrogation of Article 370 has multiple and complex implications. Supreme Court Observer underlines that the judgement will impinge on the extent of the powers of the President and Parliament to legislate on Jammu and Kashmir, relations between the states and the Centre, and the nature of our federal structure. That apart, any overturning of the abrogation four years after its legislation will have its own impact -- politically and geopolitically.
For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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