The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
Sometimes major events completely disconnected may be data points for the plans of the different powers around the world. The challenge is to discern what purpose they serve? More critically, what are we moving towards?
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
In 1989 I had gone to Keylong for a trek. We reached Manali, walked upto Rohtang and then descended on the other side to Keylong via Koksar. It was a memorable trip for me. Mobility in this highly sensitive and security wise critical region was very tough.
So it is very heartening to note that the Indian government has now created a system of tunnels, bridges and transportation by railways etc to ensure that not only can civilian move around, but so can the defense forces. A railway line – Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line – has been created which connects Sundernagar, Mandi, Manali, Keylong, Koksar, Darcha, Upshi and Karu apart from other places in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The whole project includes 74 tunnels, 124 major bridges and 396 minor bridges.
Courtesy – Tribune India
But what is most fascinating is that a railway station will be built within the station at Keylong – at a height of 3,000 metres inside a 27 km long tunnel!
“The Keylong station, in the project, will be inside the tunnel according to the first phase of the location survey. This will be the first such railway station in the country. As and when the final surveys are completed, there could be many such stations on the route,” D R Gupta, chief engineer construction, Northern Railway, told PTI.
This project is being built at a heigh ot 5360 metres above sea level. The only other equivalent is the Qinghai-Tibet railway line in China, which is at the height of 2000 metres.
With this line the travel time between Delhi and Leh will come down from 40 hours to 20 hours. The final survey for the entire line will be completed in 30 months.
The Indian budget every year has always been an eagerly awaited event. For many decades, the best minds in economics, finance, tax, business and industry throng the media house to analyze the provisions shared by the Financial Minister.
When the US Ambassador threatened India's "Strategic Autonomy" policy over India's friendship with Russia - much more than meets the eye was at stake. Let us unpack how the Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the US and the world. And why are we here anyway?
This visit of India left me with many questions. Many observations and inputs from different people and sections. Food for thought that I have tried to contemplate on and make sense of. Sharing all that with you.
When you analyze the last 60 years of the economic miracles of Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia versus the continued impoverished Indian economy, you get very interesting lessons. Can Indians have the wherewithal in them to do in one generation so that the coming generations may rise?
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