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At the time when India unveiled its much hyped “Make in India” dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China silently unleashed its “Made in China” programme to re-build its manufacturing hub. “Make in India” and “Made in China” sound similar in their perspectives. But, conceptually they are different. While “Make in India” was a call to establish world’s biggest manufacturing hub and increase share of manufacturing in GDP from 15 per cent to 25 per cent, “Made in China” was to rebuild China’s manufacturing sector into a qualitative workshop with production of more Hi-tech products. So far China’s manufacturing sector served as turf for volume production. While India made attempts to woo both domestic and foreign investors to make the manufacturing hub, China reposed the responsibility on foreign investors.

While there could be debate about the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five day visit to the US this week, there can be no doubt that he had conquered the 3 million strong Indian American community. The Madison square garden rock show on Sunday was a shining example to prove this. Although his meeting with the US President Obama was spent on substantive issues like the bilateral relations, economy and trade as well as military cooperation, Modi built up the right environment in a calculated move, armed himself with the overwhelming support of the Indian American community.

The Reserve Bank of India's Fourth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement on September 30 does not offer any hint of monetary easing in the near future, again citing risks to lowering at present the policy lending repo rate from 8 per cent it has maintained since April, in the current fiscal year.

Barely hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaj Sharif harped before the world audience on its over-six-decade-old position, long discarded by India as ‘unacceptable’ and held ‘impractical’ by most nations deeply interested in peace in the region, that Kashmiris be allowed the right to ‘self-determination’ to decide whether or not to remain part of India, visiting Indian private channels were rushing to Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz for so-called “exclusive” by-turn interviews to help the beleaguered neighbour to put forward another round of interpretation of Sharif’s uncalled for vitriolic against India’s gesture. For Pakistan, it must have been, once again, a very satisfying on the diplomatic front to verbally attack India on the world mat and, then, apply balm on hurt Indian sentiment by using its ever-so gullibly gratuitous media for Indian audience.

It is better late than never. The news that the power minister Piyush Goyal has set up an inter-ministerial panel (IMC) to examine and move forward with effective allocation of the 214 coal blocks, after the Supreme Court’s recent order, is indeed acceptable. What is positive about the move is that the committee (IMC) would comprise engineers of power, steel, and mining sectors as well as legal experts from various ministries to lead the real action.

Since Maharashtra is the first state to go to the polls after the general election and the subsequent by-elections, it is not surprising that it is experiencing the fallout from these contests in full measure.

The likely face off between Indian and Chinese troops at the line of actual control (LAC) in Ladakh has been averted. Thanks to efforts of the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart Wang Yi at the margins of the UN General Assembly. The Chinese troops have begun withdrawing from Chumar in Ladakh following the flag meeting between two sides. The Indian side agreed to dismantle its observation posts in the area, while the Chinese agreed to discontinue the construction of road there. About 750 Chinese troops began incursions into Indian territory about a fortnight ago and remained there even the Chinese President Xi Jinping was on a visit to India.

BHOPAL: Brisk preparations are on for the mega investors' summit to be held in Indore in the first week of October. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh is hopeful that the summit will open the doors for massive investments in Madhya Pradesh. Almost all the important and leading industrial houses of the country are likely to be present in the summit. According to a government spokesman, Mukesh Ambani, Essar group chairman Shashi Ruia, Videocon representative Anirudh Dhoot and several others leading industrial tycoons have given their consent to participate in the Indore meet. Besides Ambassadors and representative of foreign countries have also accepted MP government's invitation.

Tamil Nadu, noted for stability and good governance through decades, may be in for political uncertainty, without a robust leader at the helm like Ms. Jayalalithaa, the convicted and jailed Chief Minister. But this is dependant on the outcome of the 2016 assembly elections. Meanwhile, her ruling AIADMK will hold the fort firm.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala CPI(M)’s proclivity to take unilateral decisions and impose the same on the Left Democratic Font (LDF) headed by it has drawn heavy flak from the party’s allies.