Express 5: Barack Obama accepts Modi Republic Day invite; 8 yrs after Sachar, Muslims still marginalised

The presence of US President Barack Obama at the Republic Day celebrations next year is likely to mark the long awaited moment of transformation in India’s relations with America and an extraordinary shift in Delhi’s world view. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to invite Obama, and the American president’s acceptance reveal the scale and scope of the mutual understanding that appears to have emerged out of the meeting between the two leaders in September.

Why the invite marks a watershed in India-US ties

NO MORE REQUESTS

Putting its foot down, Air India has informed Parliament Secretariat that it can no longer entertain requests from MPs to upgrade seats on flights or allow extra baggage on board. The official air carrier, which received repeated requests from parliamentary committees to arrange aircraft with maximum executive class seats for their travel, has said MPs cannot be provided business class seats in sectors which are served by aircraft with only economy class seats.

Air India to MPs: Sorry, can’t upgrade your seats or allow excess baggage

MARGINALISED MUSLIMS

Eight years after the Sachar committee report on the condition of Muslims and creation of a Ministry of Minority Affairs, a post-Sachar evaluation committee, headed by former JNU professor Amitabh Kundu, has concluded that though a start has been made in addressing development deficits of the community, government interventions have not quite matched in scale the large numbers of the marginalised.

8 yrs after Sachar, Muslims still out of Govt jobs and schools

OPINION

Modi said development was the only solution for the growth of Jharkhand and urged people to give him a “chance to serve them”. (Photo: PTI)

By changing the name of India’s Asia policy from “Look East” to “Act East”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was signalling that he would be more proactive and purposeful than his predecessors in the region. To be sure, New Delhi has made much progress in reconnecting with Asia since the early 1990s. Yet the gap between potential and reality has steadily grown. So has the gulf between rising regional expectations of an Indian role in Asia and the political will in Delhi to measure up.

Not so easy to Act East

SPORTS

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand failed to break the ice and played out another draw in the tenth game of the world chess championship, in Sochi on Friday.With the seventh draw in ten games, Anand continued to trail Carlsen by a full point and the Norwegian is now just one point away from retaining the crown he won last year against the Indian ace.

Magnus Carlsen closer towards title after yet another draw against Viswanathan Anand