… FATF pronouncements are sensitive to the requirements of better information sharing between the law enforcement agencies, banking sector, governments, and the private sector … it is also engaging police officers, judges and prosecutors to improve the effectiveness of criminal justice system in terror-financing cases … but some refinements are still necessary …
There are three kinds of media people who travel to the North-East of India: the north-easterners who have had to desert the sylvan vales of their region as economic refugees; career adventure journalists who like to get stellar roles in their chosen profession from the blood spilled; and few reluctant reporters who just cannot avoid the ‘bad’ news emanating from the region. Sanjay Hazarika belongs to neither category.
The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) arranged a panel discussion on 08 Jan 2018 over a recently published book ‘Sharpening the Arsenal: India’s Evolving Nuclear Doctrine’ (HarperCollins, 2017), authored by eminent defence expert, Brig Gurmeet Kanwal. The book, besides bringing a razor-sharp focus on India’s entire nuclear spectrum, also seeks to stir a debate on whether India’s Nuclear Doctrine, entailing a ‘No First Use’ policy, has outlived its utility, especially keeping in view Pakistan’s evolving nuclear postures against India.
The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized a Round Table Discussion (RTD) on “India’s Nuclear Diplomacy” on 20 December 2017. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF, moderated the session. The speakers of the round table included Amb. Satish Chandra, Amb. Sheel Kant Sharma, Amb. R. Rajagopalan, Amb. D. P. Srivastava, Prof. R. Rajaraman, Lt. Gen. Ravi Sawhney and Dr. Manpreet Sethi. At the end of the Roundtable, Dr. Pankaj Sharma, Joint Secretary, Disarmament and International Security Affairs (DISA), Ministry of External Affairs, gave his special remarks.
At a public event, organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on 13 Mar 2018 under the Vimarsha lecture series, General Bipin Rawat, UYSM, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), spoke about India’s changing security environment and the role of the Indian Army, following it up with an equally exhaustive Q&A session.
Background Rohingyas, with a population of nearly 1.1 million, are mostly Muslims living largely in Myanmar’s western coastal state of Rakhine and also in Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia. There are about 40,000 of them also living as illegal migrants in India. According to a World Bank report, 78 percent of the Rohingyas are living in a state of abject poverty and are considered as the ‘most oppressed ethnic community in the world’.
Aiming for a thorough review of India’s internal security apparatus, as also in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a Task Force set up recently by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on the subject, the Foundation invited Mr. RR Bhatnagar, Director General, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) - the lead force deployed in counter-insurgency (CI) operations across India, - for a round table discussion (RTD) with a select group of policy analysts and security experts including members of the Task Force, among others, on Feb 12, 2018.
The book deals comprehensively with India’s nuclear arsenal and finally suggests as to what must be done to sharpen it in the current environment.
Introduction
Abstract History has been witness to the conflict-induced internal displacement of people in different states of Northeast India from time to time. While the issues of such displacement have been resolved in most of the North-eastern States, the displacement of Brus from Mizoram has remained unresolved even over past two decades. Over 35,000 Brus have been living in six makeshift relief camps in North Tripura's Kanchanpur, areas adjoining Mizoram under inhuman conditions since October 1997.