‘Bangladesh Migrants - A Threat to India’ authored by P K Mishra, Senior Fellow of the Vivekananda International Foundation, was released at the VIF on 13 May 2014, by Shri Prakash Singh, IPS (Retd) and former Director General, BSF and a member of the advisory board of VIF. Lt General (Retd) Ravi Sawhney, chaired the session.
Vice Admiral (Retd) Anup Singh, PVSM, AVSM, NM, former Commander in Chief, Eastern Naval Command, delivered a talk on 'Economic Potential of India's Maritime Domain & Security Implications', on 21st March 2014 at the Vivekananda International Foundation under its monthly series of talks given by eminent personalities, Vimarsha. In his address, Vice-Admiral Singh said the maritime riches of our ocean environment have been neglected for a long time.
An interaction was held with select students from the country’s North East region residing in Delhi, on 28 Feb 2014. The aim of the interaction was to reassure people from the region about their security in the wake of some recent untoward incidents as well as to seek suggestions on steps that need to be taken to address the problems faced by them in the national capital.
Introduction During the nationalist movement and struggle for independence, there was little attention paid to articulation of India’s defence and security policies by the Indian National Congress (INC). Allusions to concepts and precepts of defence of an independent India were entirely absent from INC party resolutions and documents or for that matter in the speeches of the political leadership. Click here to read full Paper
Abstract Energy is essential for the economic growth of a nation. India, which is in the lower half of the countries as far as the energy consumption per capita is concerned, needs to leap frog from its present position to upper half, commensurate with its growing economic stature, by adopting an approach, where all available sources need to be optimally used in a coordinated manner, to bridge the demand supply gap.
‘Defining Hindutva’, authored by Amb O P Gupta, was released at the VIF on February 24, 2014 by Dr Mohan Rao Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak, RSS in the presence of Ajit Doval, Director, VIF and Santosh Taneja, Coordinator, Sankalp. Listing out the manifold intellectual challenges before the nation, Doval, in his introductory remarks, emphasised on the importance of a common past and a common vision to build a strong nation. For this, the current ideology would have to change, he said.
Ms Cleo Paskal, well known strategic analyst on maritime affairs, delivered a talk on 'The global climate changes and the resultant strategic challenges to maritime interests of India' at the VIF on January 17. During the talk, Paskal also highlighted the growing presence of China in the Pacific Ocean and the developments in India’s neighbourhood. Former Assam Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Ajai Singh, Lt Gen (Retd) N S Malik and Brig (Retd) R B Sharma also spoke on the occasion. K G Suresh, Senior Fellow and Editor, VIF, summed up the deliberations.
A Round-Table Discussion to deliberate upon the credibility of India’s Nuclear Deterrence especially in the light of Pakistan’s development of Tactical Nuclear Weapons (TNWs) was held at the VIF on 18 November 2013. The discussion was chaired by Gen NC Vij, former Chief of Army Staff. The participants included members of the strategic community comprising former diplomats, military personnel and representatives from think tanks.
On 13th September, Kishtwar Cauldron: The Struggle against ISI’s Ethnic Cleansing, authored by Maj. Gen. (Retd) Dr G D Bakshi, SM VSM, was launched at the VIF. The book was released by Lt. Gen. (Retd) S K Sinha, PVSM, former Governor of Assam and Jammu & Kashmir. Also present as panellists were Dr Romesh Raina, President of the Kashmiri Pandit Samaj and Ms Sandhya Jain, eminent writer of contemporary political affairs and a columnist at Pioneer.
The book is part of a series by Oxford University Press dealing with ‘critical issues in Indian politics’. It is a compilation of papers on major national security challenges facing the nation. It looks at the different facets of insurgency, terrorism and state response, nuclear issues including nuclear weapons and strategic stability and defence reforms.