Krishan Varma Advisor to Impulse NGO Network     A little more than a week ago the India-China border talks hit a roadblock. Despite several rounds of talks at different levels, nothing substantive was achieved, other than a partial disengagement at the three friction points at Galway valley, Gogra-Hot Springs, and Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh. While diplomatic efforts to defuse the crisis continued, once again in a pre-meditated and deliberate action, Chinese troops moved stealthily to occupy two strategically important hill features in the Pangong Tso area. Indian troops reacted swiftly, reportedly halted ingress, and secured tactically advantageous positions in the south banks of the Pangong Tso and in features…

Krishan Varma Advisor to Impulse NGO Network     Chinese actions along with eastern Ladakh and the East and South China Seas continue to reflect moves played in the traditional game of ‘wiki:’, the 2,500-year-old abstract strategy board game, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent, to eventually capture it all. This is evident in the lack of compliance with the agreed disengagement and de-escalation process along the LAC. China’s intention is to incrementally occupy territory and push the perceived Line of Actual Control (LAC) further west. A similar strategy is being played out in its usurpation of territory in the East and South China Seas.…

Krishan Varma Advisor to Impulse NGO Network     The barbaric premeditated attacks perpetrated by Chinese troops on Indian Army personnel in the Galway river valley area has nullified the painstakingly negotiated confidence-building measures for peace along the LAC. Although there is a welcome consensus between the two countries for disengaging troops in Eastern Ladakh, withdrawal from the seized territory (that was not under Chinese occupation earlier) to the April 2020 status quo ante is a long way off given the scant regard China has for protocols and agreements. Already, the Chinese side has begun to lay claims to new tracts of land. Clearly, relations between the two countries are now…

Krishan Varma Advisor to Impulse NGO Network     Recent developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Eastern Ladakh region and Sikkim are a cause of concern. Since April, China has made multi-pronged aggressive moves along the un-demarcated section of the Sino-Indian border. They have been comparatively larger in scale, deploying a significant number of troops with indicated intent. The transgressions in the Naku area of Sikkim were significant. In the Pangong Tso area, there was continued attempt to restrict Indian Army patrols from going up regularly to Indian claimed territory; and it was the Chinese PLA incursions in the Galway Valley, Hot Springs region, and Daulat Beg…

Krishan Varma Advisor to Impulse NGO Network     A strong case for self-reliance and greater use of made in India products were the focus of Prime Minister Modi’s recent nationwide address. However, for the cash strapped economy whose manufacturing base is currently low compared to its potential, this is a real challenge. We first have to increase demand for indigenous products to match the quality of world-class ones, which a large segment of the population has come to enjoy post-liberalization. We must also boost exports. Therefore, India needs to qualitatively scale up its manufacturing base and technological capacity to keep pace, if not become a leader in modern technologies. This…