Rotarians gain insight into the Prime Minister’s global thrust
PP Rtn. Gul Kripalani
At last week’s meeting, Rotarians spent an interesting afternoon with the Consular Corps. This event was co-ordinated by PP Rtn. Gul Kripalani, the Honorary Consul General for Iceland as well as the Chairman of Honorary Consular Corps Diplomatique, Mumbai (HCCD) and Vice Dean of Consular Corps Association Mumbai (CCAM).
PP Rtn. Haresh Jagtiani, the moderator for the day, started the discussion by addressing the panel. He said, “Our panel discussion this afternoon is on the Prime Minister’s global thrust. Now the Modi government, in order to stimulate economic growth and generate more avenues of employment, has launched its ‘Make in India’ campaign with a focus on making India a manufacturing powerhouse. Prime Minister Modi has personally taken it upon himself to extend a red carpet welcome to investors to manufacture in India. He has promised to introduce a multitude of reforms to ease the process of doing business in India, which is currently at a dismal 142 (out of 189 countries), making it a difficult country to do business with.
“We are extremely privileged to be in the distinguished company of David Akov, Consul General of Israel; Richard Bale, Consul General of Canada; Michael Siebert, Consul General of Germany; Nobert Revierbere, Consul General of Hungary; and Shalin Tandon, the Honorary Consul for the Republic of Maldives. They have sportingly agreed to participate in this friendly Q&A session, giving us a direct insight into the status of bilateral relationships between India and their respective countries and to assess whether Prime Minister Modi’s diplomatic thrust has had an impact on the future course of bilateral cooperation. I am extremely thankful to our panel, and also to Gul Kripalani, who, with his effortless charm, made this event possible.”
He began with the questions, starting with David Akov. He asked, “Mr. Akov, diplomacy is a two-way channel, and bilateral relations must be based on a win-win premise. Israel has made cutting-edge discoveries in the field of defence, medicine, agriculture and IT. This makes Israel a natural and worthy partner for India, which needs this know-how and transfer of technology. How can this potential be explored to the fullest?” Mr. Akov said, “Thank you for having me here. I believe our diplomatic relations are a result of a matching value system (both the countries are democratic) and the personal and national nature of the country. We have the same problems with agriculture and water; we are always in need of more water and production. Two weeks ago, I accompanied the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to Israel, on what was from our point of view a very successful trip, the anchor of the visit being the Agritech exhibition. There is great potential for manufacturing in India and the strengthening of ties between Israel and India.”
Rtn. Haresh posed his next question to the Consul General of Germany.
He said, “Germany possesses the best technology in the automobile industry and India would like to be a recipient of the technological know-how. Do you see Germany sharing its technology with India under the ‘Make in India’ initiative launched by the Prime Minister?” Mr. Siebert said, “Yes is the answer. In fact, it is already sharing a lot of its technology. Germany has more than 1,500 companies all over India, the best example of which is Pune. The automotive industry uses more than 80 per cent Indian content, so there is already a lot of technology transfer in place. We are investing in other sectors as well. Skilling is very important and we have a dual educational system in Germany that is now applied by German companies in India, which also adds to the technology transfer.”
Rtn. Haresh then addressed Mr. Bale, the Consul General of Canada. He said, “Canada has opened its doors to Indian immigrants for many decades. However, trade between the countries has not reached its entire potential. Has the Prime Minister’s latest visit changed anything for the better? Mr. Bale, in response, said, “When you look at the official statistics for trade and investments, the numbers are not good, but there is a lot more happening that is not accounted for in those numbers. Canada produces more than 2 billion dollars worth of diamonds a year and 90 to 95 per cent of those come to India, mainly to Gujarat for cutting and polishing, but this does not go directly through Canada and does not reflect in the official statistics. Investments do not get captured very well either. While we share India’s gloomy assessment of our relationship, there is indeed a lot going on that we do not see. Now, moving on to answering your question on if Mr. Modi’s visit has made a difference, the answer is yes. Whatever you may think of him based on the impact he has had to date on the economy, it does not change the fact that he is an incredible marketer who leaves a good impression.”
Rtn. Haresh’s next question was for Mr. Revierbere. He asked, “With the Prime Minister’s thrust on ‘Make in India’, how seriously would the Republic of Hungary respond to his initiative in making treaties more meaningful? I would also like to know if it is easier to deal with monolithic countries and if the rate of development is slower in democratic countries.” Mr. Revierbere said, “Last year, the biggest investor in Hungary was an Indian company, Apollo Tyres. We are quite happy with the Make in India campaign and its impact on India’s FDI in Hungary. I think technology transfers and joint ventures are the key. On the trade side, there is tremendous potential between our countries; Hungary has always been supportive of India on the international front.”
His next question was to Mr. Tandon. He said, “India loves the Maldives and has contributed comprehensively to their infrastructure, defence, health, aviation, telecommunications, etc., and has also rendered assistance during natural calamities. So, is India regarded as an overwhelming big brother or a protective one? In response, Mr. Tandon said, “India cannot be ignored as a superpower. This year, we complete 50 years of diplomatic relations with India, so it is definitely a time of celebration for both the countries and we look forward to more opportunities. In some respect, I suppose you could say it is an overwhelming big brother who is also protective.”
In closing, Rtn. Haresh thanked the panel members for their time and sharing their valuable opinions with Rotarians and Rotaryannes, bringing the meeting to an end.